SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The Concordia-St. Paul baseball team (22-14, 14-10 NSIC) locked up a spot in the NSIC Tournament with a split at Sioux Falls (15-29, 15-19 NSIC) on Friday afternoon. CSP scratched out a 2-1 win in eight innings in game one before falling 3-2 in game two.
 
With a four-game lead over Sioux Falls, who entered the day in ninth, the game one win ensured the Golden Bears would finish above the Cougars in the standings, securing a spot in the NSIC Tournament. The tournament berth marks the sixth consecutive season the Golden Bears have made it as they have managed to qualify in every season since 2013.
 
CSP entered the day in fifth at four game above .500 while Winona State sat percentage points behind. Wayne State followed in seventh with a mark two games above .500 while Northern State entered in eighth at two games below .500. At the conclusion of play for Concordia on Friday, Winona State had taken game one from Northern State while Wayne State dropped their first to Augustana. Heading into the final day of the regular season, the Golden Bears are now guaranteed to finish somewhere between fifth and seventh in the standings.
 
GAME ONE: Concordia-St. Paul 2, Sioux Falls 1 (8 inn.)
Heading into the day needing just one win to seal a trip to the postseason, Concordia clawed their way back from an early 1-0 deficit to win a pitcher's duel by a score of 2-1 in eight innings to take care of business.
 
CSP ace Gus Varland (7-1) lived up to the billing as he held the Cougars to just two hits and no earned runs while walking one and striking out nine in the win. Varland lowered his ERA to 1.04 while raising his strikeout total to 69 in 52.0 innings on the season.
 
Riley Sweeney also continued his excellent season as he grabbed his seventh save of the year with a scoreless eighth. The right-hander worked around two walks to pick up his third save in a four outing span. With the outing, Sweeney dropped his ERA to 2.14 over 21.0 innings of work.
 
In a game where the Golden Bears managed just five hits, Tanner Holmquist led the way as he singled twice and drew a walk, scoring both of the team's runs. Carter Schmidt added an RBI single while Sannes had a hit and a walk as well. Mickey Leius added the team's fifth knock on the day.
 
Dylan Gavin (4-7) was a big reason for the quiet bats for CSP as he worked the first 7.2 innings, allowing a pair of runs (one earned) despite taking the loss. He added two walks and two strikeouts on the afternoon.
 
Concordia threatened to open the scoring in the top half of the first as they utilized an error, a single, and a walk to load the bases, but couldn't push the run across as a fielder's choice ended the inning.
 
Following an uneventful bottom of the first and top of the second, the Cougars broke through to put a run on the board in their half of the second. After a leadoff walk and a stolen base, Brent GriffingJarvis came around to score from second on an error in the infield to put USF out front 1-0.
 
Both pitchers really settled in from there as scoring chances were few and far between until the Golden Bears tied it up in the sixth. Holmquist got the rally started with a one-out walk before Drew Sannes singled to put runners on first and second with two down. This time it was CSP's turn to take advantage on a miscue as an error to third off the bat of Carter Schmidt allowed Holmquist to reach home safely and even the score at 1-1 heading to the bottom of the sixth.
 
Both teams put runners in scoring position in the seventh, but it wasn't until the eighth that the go-ahead run crossed the plate. It was once again Holmquist that played a key role as he led off with a single before stealing second and moving up to third on a passed ball. Schmidt then delivered a two-out single to left to score Holmquist and give Concordia a 2-1 edge with the Cougars coming to bat in the eighth.
 
Sweeney made things interesting as he walked the first two USF hitters in the frame, but managed to induce three consecutive fly outs to secure the save and clinch a spot in the NSIC Tournament.
 
GAME TWO: Sioux Falls 3, Concordia-St. Paul 2
The Golden Bears found themselves in an early hole again in game two and twice closed the gap to one run but they were unable to pull even or take the lead in the 3-2 loss.
 
Brandon Roesler (4-3) made life tough on the CSP offense as he worked out of trouble throughout the contest. Roesler scattered seven hits and allowed two runs (one earned) in the win. He walked none and struck out four in the complete game effort.
 
Zach Lauzon (3-4) took the loss as he worked the first 3.0 innings, allowing two runs on three hits and three walks to go along with three strikeouts before departing. Connor Hurley followed with 3.0 solid bullpen innings as he limited USF to two hits and one unearned runs while striking out four.
 
Concordia finished the game with seven hits, led by two from Patrick Bordewick. Bordewick scored one of the team's two runs while Mickey Leius scored the other. Isaac Hormann added the lone run batted in for the team with an RBI single while four other CSP hitters added hits.
 
The Cougars struck first again in game two as they ambushed Lauzon in the first with a walk and a single before Rob Johnson drove in a run with another single. A second run crossed the plate on a balk as USF built a 2-0 lead heading into the second.
 
Concordia got one back an inning later as Patrick Bordewick sent a double to left before eventually scoring on an RBI single from Isaac Hormann in the third.
 
A two-out Bordewick infield single in the fifth following by a Ryan Christopher bunt single put the Golden Bears in position to tie the score, but a groundout ended the inning to keep it at 2-1. CSP put runners on the corners in the sixth with one out as Connor Trygstad was hit by a pitch and Drew Sannes singled before Roesler retired the next two hitters to end another rally.
 
Sioux Falls regained their two-run cushion a half an inning later as a leadoff walk set up an eventual sacrifice fly off the bat of Ryan Meyer to make it 3-1 with three outs to go.
 
CSP put a run on the board in the seventh as Mickey Leius singled and moved around with the benefit of a pair of Sioux Falls errors to score the second run for the Golden Bears, but that would be it as USF hung on for a 3-2 victory.
 
Concordia and Sioux Falls will return to action tomorrow on the final day of the regular season with the doubleheader set to begin at 12 p.m.