Baseball | 4.10.17
ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Concordia-St. Paul baseball team (17-15, 11-9 NSIC) will look to return to their winning ways on their home field this week as they play host to University of Mary (7-22, 3-17 NSIC) on Tuesday afternoon for an NSIC doubleheader. First pitch is set for 1:30 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT
Despite leading in three of the four games over the weekend, the Golden Bears dropped their series three games to one at St. Cloud State. CSP took game one 8-5 before dropping the final three games 5-4, 9-3 and 8-5.
Ben Suits had a strong weekend at the plate as he picked up seven hits in 17 trips (.412 average) while tying for the team-lead with
Carter Schmidt with four RBIs.
On the mound,
Gus Varland picked up the lone win, working 4.2 innings to pick up his fifth win of the year. Varland (5-2) allowed five runs (two earned) and seven hits while striking out three in the start.
Jake Kounkel came on to work the final 2.1 innings and was nearly unhittable as he picked up his fourth save. The senior right-hander made it six consecutive scoreless outings and nine consecutive scoreless innings to lower his season ERA to 1.64.
SERIES HISTORY
Concordia enters Tuesday's contests with a record of 25-4 against the Marauders. After the two teams split the first six meetings, CSP has taken 22 of the last 23, including 20 in a row heading into game two of last season's series. In eight games played on Concordia's home field, the Golden Bears have gone 7-1. The last time CSP failed to win a series against U-Mary came in a four-game split all the way back in 2008.
LAST MEETING
In last season's four game series in St. Paul, the Golden Bears took three of four from the Marauders.
On the first day of the series,
Zach Rengel tossed a complete game shutout on just 91 pitches (62 strikes), allowing three singles and a double with four strikeouts and a walk. The Marauders put a runner on second base three times against Rengel, a two out double in the third, an error in the fourth and back-to-back singles to start the sixth. In the sixth inning, Rengel picked the runner off second base and stranded the runner on second behind him, and the Marauders had a runner caught stealing with one out in the seventh before Rengel struckout the final batter for the win.
The Marauders answered back by taking game two 6-5 to end CSP's 20 game winning streak in the series, led by Jason Shaul's five hits and three RBIs in the game.
In game's three and four, Left handers
Kody Knaus and
Kevin Woebke combined to work 14.0 innings, allowing a run each while limiting U-Mary to seven hits with eight strikeouts and three walks as each starter picked up the win.
Offensively, leadoff hitter
Connor Olson packed the punch by going 6-9 with two home runs, a double and four RBI while he was followed by
Eric Fasnacht in the order who went 4-8 with a double and a homer.
