WEST ST. PAUL, Minn. –  In their seventh and eighth games in the West St. Paul Dome, the Concordia-St. Paul softball team (23-17, 8-10 NSIC) split with Sioux Falls (25-11, 10-4 NSIC), losing the first game 5-3 before defeating the Cougars 8-1 in game two. The Golden Bears' offense was held to four hits in game one, but rallied in game two to out-hit their opponents 11-2.
 
GAME 1: Sioux Falls 5, Concordia-St. Paul 3
Sioux Falls took advantage of a four-run first inning on their way to a 5-3 win in the first game of the doubleheader. The Cougars held a 7-4 advantage in hits and played errorless defense in the win.
 
Sioux Falls struck first, taking advantage of a CSP error and two walks to load the bases. Junior Emily Howe then came up and powered one over the right field fence to give Sioux Falls a quick 4-0 lead in the top of the first. The Bears answered in the bottom of inning, when senior Nicole Thompson hit her first career home run, blasting a two-run shot to right field to cut the Cougars' lead in half.
 
Concordia would add another run in the bottom of the third when senior Haley Schanks hit a double to left center to drive in Thompson, who had singled earlier in the inning.
 
In the fifth, Sioux Falls hit another homer to give them a two-run lead, 5-3, which they would hold for the rest of the game. CSP gave themselves a chance to win it in the bottom of the seventh, when Makenna Giese and Hanna Mortenson, both pinch hitting, led off the inning with back-to-back walks. The Cougars held on, though, retiring the next three Golden Bears in order to earn the win.
 
Samantha Sullivan started in the circle for CSP, giving up four runs (none earned) on one hit. Sophomore Kali Kaestner relieved Sullivan, pitching the final 6.1 innings, allowing one run on six hits while fanning a season-high seven batters. Sullivan would take the loss and is now 5-5 on the year.
 
GAME 2: Concordia-St. Paul 8, Sioux Falls 1
The Concordia offense came alive in game two, tallying 11 hits throughout the contest. Pitcher Aryka Knoche and the defense took care of the rest, as Knoche threw a two-hitter and the defense played errorless, to help the Bears take game two 8-1.
 
The Bears wasted no time, batting through the order and scoring five runs in the first inning on four hits and four walks. CSP added two more runs in the second and tacked on another in the third. The Cougars got one back in the top of the fourth, getting one across on a groundout, but were unable to get anyone past second in the final three innings.
 
The offense was spread out throughout the Bears' lineup, as eight different CSP players recorded hits. Schattner, Knoche, and Lily Langevin led the way for Concordia, each tallying two hits. Knoche and freshman Cam Veenbaas each drove in a pair of runs, and with a single in the fifth, Thompson extended her current hit-streak to 18 straight games.
 
Knoche threw all seven innings in the circle, giving up one run on two hits, while striking out four. With the win, Knoche improves to 11-7 on the season.
 
UP NEXT
The Golden Bears are scheduled to go on their last road trip of the regular season this weekend, taking on Northern State on Saturday, April 21^st and facing MSU Moorhead the following day. Check the schedule page for the most up-to-date live stat and video links.