MARYVILLE, MO. – After ten days off, the Concordia-St. Paul softball team (14-6) recorded 19 hits on their way to a split in the first day of the Hy-Vee Classic being hosted by Missouri Western and Northwest Missouri State. The Golden Bears won their first game, defeating Northwest Missouri State 5-1, but fell to their next opponent, Central Missouri, 9-8.
 
GAME 1: Concordia-St. Paul 5, Northwest Missouri State 1
The Golden Bears opened up the day with a 5-1 win over Northwest Missouri State, scoring three runs in the fourth inning and then adding two runs in the final two. The Bearcats would get one run back in the seventh, but CSP got out of the inning to secure the win.
 
Despite only tallying six hits throughout the contest, the Bears took advantage of Bearcat errors and were efficient with runners on base, only stranding four, while forcing their opponents to leave nine people on base. Six different Golden Bears recorded a hit apiece, with Carlie Hart, Hannah Carlson, and Aryka Knoche driving in runs. With a homerun in the top of the seventh inning, Hart extends her hit streak to 15 straight games.
 
Knoche started on the mound for the Bears and went all seven innings, giving up one run on three hits, while striking out five. The Little Canada native is now 6-3 on the year, and leads Concordia with 40 strikeouts.
 
The first three innings featured CSP getting out 1-2-3, but the Bears would bust it open in the top of the fourth when Nicole Thompson, Justine Schattner, and Haley Schanks all reached on NWMSU errors. The ball that Schanks put in play scored Thompson and Schattner would score on a single from Carlson. Knoche would drive in the last run of the inning, scoring Schanks.
 
The Bears would add a run in both the sixth and the seventh to increase their lead to 5-0. In the sixth, Schanks doubled and would score on a Knoche single. In the seventh Hart homered to left field, for her first homerun of her career. The Bearcats threatened a comeback, as the first three runners reached in the bottom of the seventh, but Knoche and the defense only allowed one to cross, leaving two left on base, to secure the 5-1 victory.  
 
GAME 2: Central Missouri 9, Concordia-St. Paul 8
In the nightcap, the Bears rallied to tie the game in the fourth and then take the lead in the top of the seventh, but let two runs score in the bottom of the inning, allowing Central Missouri to take home the win, 9-8.
 
Concordia out-hit their opponent, racking up 13 hits throughout the contest, but the Jennies came up with clutch hits with two outs in the seventh to come out on top. Four Golden Bears had multi-hit games in the loss, being led by Thompson and Amanda Parsons, who each ended with three hits. Thompson also drove in two runs, tying Carlson in RBIs. Hart recorded two hits to increase her hit streak to 16.
 
Central Missouri took an early lead, scoring four unearned runs in the first two innings. The Bears answered in the fourth, coming up with three hits and taking advantage of two defensive errors to tie it up at four apiece.
 
The Jennies immediately rallied to reclaim the lead, scoring three runs on three hits to lead 7-4. Central Missouri would hold onto this lead until the sixth inning, when the Bears tied it with three runs on four hits. Schattner and Carlson combined to drive in the runs, and Hart drove in a run in in the seventh to take an 8-7 lead. The Golden Bears defense recorded the first two outs in the bottom of the seventh, but a Central Missouri walk and then three straight singles got two runs across to win it.
 
Sophomore Samantha Sullivan got the start for the Bears, pitching the first three innings. Kali Kaestner entered in the fourth inning to relieve Sullivan and would take the loss, falling to 5-3 on the season.
 
UP NEXT
The Bears finish out the Hy-Vee classic against Missouri Western and Washburn (Kan.) in their final non-conference games of the year tomorrow, March 18^th, at 12 and 2 p.m. Concordia will then open up conference play against #10 Minnesota State on March 27^th at Carlander Field.