SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – In the opening round of the NSIC Playoff Tournament, the Concordia-St. Paul softball team (29-22) exploded past Minot State (25-23) to win 14-6 in five innings. The Golden Bears recorded an impressive 16 hits in the victory on their way to scoring the most runs of any game this season. Concordia will play again today at 2 p.m. against #2 seeded Augustana at Sherman Field.
 
Heading into Thursday's contest, the Bears were already very familiar with their opponents, as they faced off in the final doubleheader of the regular season. Those games also featured a lot of offense, as both teams recorded 10+ hits in each of the matchups. The Bears continued that pattern, as every CSP player who had an at-bat recorded at least one hit, totaling 16 altogether, but the Concordia pitching staff held the Beavers under ten hits to help earn the win.
 
Four different Golden Bears had multiple hit games, led by sophomore Aryka Knoche and freshman Amanda Parsons, who had three hits apiece. Knoche also led the team in RBIs, driving in a massive five runs with a double in the second, a homer in the third, and a sac fly in the fifth. Parsons also added RBIs to her stat line, driving in a pair of runs with singles in the first and second innings.
 
Junior Carlie Hart and senior Haley Schanks were the final two CSP players to record multi-hit games, as each had two hits. Hart opened the game with a single and a stolen base and later hit her 15^th double of the year. Schanks had a pair of singles throughout the game and also drove in a run.
 
The active CSP offense scored in four out of the five innings, putting up four runs in each of the first three innings. The Bears put pressure on the Beavers early, putting together five hits in the first inning to score their first four runs.
 
Minot hit a solo home run in the top of the second, but Concordia answered with force, scoring four more runs, as Knoche scored two with a double to left center, Schanks scored on a passed ball, and Parsons drove in Knoche.
 
The Beavers did not go away quietly, scoring three runs of their own in the top of the third to cut the Bears' lead to four. Concordia rallied, though, and came through with their third four-run inning in the bottom of the third to once again extend their lead, this time to eight runs. Nicole Thompson hit a sac fly to score Lily Langevin, who walked earlier in the inning, and Justine Schattner drove Hart in, who had doubled. Knoche then took care of the rest of the scoring in the inning, hitting a two run bomb to left center, scoring Schanks.
 
Both teams were held scoreless in the fourth and each scored two in the fifth. The Beavers scored on an RBI single and a double steal to keep the game alive. Schattner then opened the bottom of the inning with a double to right center and Schanks followed that up with a single to center. Knoche then came up with her fifth RBI, hitting a sac fly to center to score Schattner. Junior Makenna Giese, who came in to pinch hit, came through with a two-out single to center to score Schanks which ended the game in five innings.
 
Knoche started in the circle for CSP, and earned her 14^th win of the year, pitching the first three innings, allowing four runs on six hits. Sophomore Kali Kaestner pitched the final 2.0 innings, allowing two runs on three hits, while striking out three.
 
With the opening round win, the Bears will next face Augustana at 2 p.m. at Sherman Field. Live stat and live video links can be found at the top of the page or on the softball schedule page.