ST. CLOUD, Minn. – The Concordia-St. Paul softball team (0-2) dropped their first two games of the regular season to Minnesota State (1-1) by a score of 0-9 in five innings and Augustana (2-4) by a score of 6-7 at the Kelly Laas Memorial Invitational on Friday afternoon.
 
Minnesota State 9, Concordia-St. Paul 0 (5 innings)
- Liz Jarosz claimed the first hit of the season for CSP with a single in the top of the first inning. She finished the game 1-2 at the plate.
- Minnesota State would get a pair of runs in the first inning and after a scoreless second inning, MSU would drive in four more runs in the third to take a 6-0 lead.
- Amber Kral would drive a two-run home run over the right center fence in the third.
- CSP would get their second and final hit of the game at the top of third off a bunt by Carlie Hart. She would then steal second base following the bunt.
- The Mavericks would score three more runs in the bottom of the fourth to take a 9-0 lead.
- Ries picked up the win for MSU, pitching all five innings while only allowing two hits and striking out six.
- Heim took the tough loss for CSP giving up 10 hits, nine runs (four earned) while striking out two.
- Justine Schattner reached base twice on both plate appearances via a walk and a hit-by-pitch.
- Concordia is now 15-31 all-time against Minnesota State and MSU has won the last four meetings against CSP.
- The Golden Bears and the Mavericks will meet again on March 28 to begin NSIC play.
 
Augustana 7, Concordia-St. Paul 6 (8 innings)
- Augustana got off to a quick start scoring four runs off of five hits in the top of the first inning.
- Concordia was unable to get on the board in the first inning, but Schattner did reach double with two outs in the inning.
- In the second inning the Vikings add one more run to give them a 5-0 lead but in the home half of the second the CSP bats got going. The Golden Bears tallied six runs on six hits in the bottom of the second to take a 6-5 lead.
- Haley Schanks led off the inning with a double before Hannah Carlson belted her first career home run to get CSP on the board.
- Later in the inning with runners on the corners and two outs Carlie Hart would record an RBI single to pull within two runs.
- The very next at bat Justine Schattner would wrap up the inning with a 3-run home run to give the Golden Bears a 6-5 lead.
- Augustana would come close tying the game in the top of the fourth but they stranded runners on second and third as Maggie Kadrlik grounded out to Jarosz at first to end the inning.
- It wasn't until the top of the fifth inning when AU was finally able to tie the game at six after a Kyle Rome RBI double.
- In the home half of innings five and six CSP had multiple opportunities to retake the lead, but stranded a runner in scoring position in each inning.
- Neither team was able to produce the winning run in the seventh forcing extra innings. Using the international tie breaker rules of placing a runner on second to begin the inning, Augustana would bunt their runner over to third and then score on passed ball at the next at bat to take a 7-6 lead.
- The Golden Bears would follow the same philosophy of sacrifice bunting over Emily Shinn from second to third to start the inning. Linzy Heim would then walk putting runners on first and third. Carly Hart would then reach on a fielder's choice but Shinn was thrown out at home.
- Nicole Thompson would single to second base loading the bases with two outs. However, Schattner would line out to second ending a very exciting game.
- Lexy Dunnett would get the win in the circle for the Vikings pitching four innings, allowing tow eights and no runs while striking out three.
- Samantha Sullivan took the loss for CSP, pitching all eight innings, allowing 15 hits, seven runs (six earned) and striking out one.
-  Leading the way for Concordia was Thompson went 4-5 at the plate and scored a run. Schattner went 2-4 at the plate with 3 RBI and also scoring a run.
- Kaylea Schorr led the way for Augustana going 3-4 at the plate while scoring a pair of runs. Kara McDougall and Sarah Kennedy each went 2-5. McDougall scored a pair of runs and Kennedy tallied an RBI.
- Concordia is not 5-21 all-time against Augustana.
 
UP NEXT
- The Golden Bears are back in action tomorrow night for day two of the Kelly Laas Memorial Invitational as they take on Viterbo (Wis.) at 5 pm and conclude their weekend opener against Sioux Falls at 9 pm.