Softball | 3.28.19

ST. PAUL, Minn. – After opening the conference portion of the season with a sweep, the Golden Bear softball team (15-7, 2-0 NSIC) will look to continue the trend as they travel to face Minot State (12-7, 1-1 NSIC) and UMary (10-12, 1-1 NSIC) this weekend. Concordia faces the Beavers on Saturday and the Marauders on Sunday with both doubleheaders set for 12 and 2 p.m.
 
LOCATION CHANGES
Saturday's game against Minot will now be played at South Hill Complex (601 16^th Ave. SE, Minot, N.D. 58701).
 
Sunday's game against UMary has been moved and will be played at Sanford Sports Complex (3406 E Calgary Ave., Bismarck, N.D. 58503).
 
LAST TIME OUT
CSP started their NSIC season on Wednesday, defeating Minnesota State 4-3 and 4-0. This was the first time that the Golden Bears had swept the Mavericks since the 2012 season and the first time they had swept in a conference opener since 2010.
 
In game one, the Bears scored a run in four different innings and ended up needing all four runs as MSU rallied in the bottom of the seventh for three runs. Carlie Hart led CSP in the contest, going 3-4 with two runs and an RBI. Justine Schattner, Aryka Knoche, and Hannah Carlson also had multiple hit games, with two hits each.
 
In game two, junior Samantha Sullivan pitched a complete game shutout, her second of the year, to help Concordia to a 4-0 win. The first four innings of the game was scoreless, but the Bears scored two runs in the fifth and two in the seventh and stranded eight Maverick runners on base to earn the win. Hart and Schattner each collected two hits in the game, and Schattner drove in two runs.   
 
MINOT STATE SERIES HISTORY
Heading into the weekend, the Golden Bears hold a 3-10 all-time record against Minot State since beginning to play the Beavers in 2014. In the series' opening games, Concordia won two of the first three games before seeing Minot take the next nine straight games. CSP broke that streak last season, defeating MISU 14-6 (5 innings) in the NSIC Playoff Tournament in Sioux Falls. 
 
LAST MEETING WITH MISU
In last year's regular season, the Beavers took home both wins in the last week of the season, defeating CSP 11-4 and 9-7. In the conference tournament the following week, the Golden Bears rallied to knock off Minot State 14-6 in the first round.
 
Concordia logged 16 hits in the winning effort, scoring four runs in each of the first three innings to give themselves a large 12-4 lead heading into the fourth. Minot State recovered two more runs in the top of the fifth to extend the game, but the Bears tacked on two more runs of their own, ending the game in five innings.
 
Aryka Knoche had an impressive game at the plate in that opening round playoff game, going 3-3 with three runs and five RBIs. Amanda Parsons also added three hits, with a pair of RBIs. Makenna Giese, in a pinch hitting appearance, delivered the final hit that drove in Haley Schanks to end the game.
 
ABOUT THE BEAVERS
Minot State is 12-7 on the year, going 1-1 in their opening NSIC games against UMary. The team enters the weekend winning six of their last eight contests, including last defeating the Marauders 12-0. MISU as a team hits for a .314 average and has held opponents to hitting .285. They have six home runs on the year and have stolen 29 bases so far.
 
The Beavers have five players hitting over .300, including junior Karlee Coughlin who is batting .397 with 23 hits and 18 RBIs. She also leads the team in slugging percentage at .569. Two of the team's pitchers have five wins, in freshman Zoya Robbins and senior Laura Mendez, who both have ERAs under 3.00.
 
UMARY SERIES HISTORY
The Golden Bears have been playing the Marauders consistently since 2007 and currently hold a slight edge in the series record at 16-15, including winning three of the last four. Before the 2017 season, UMary had won nine straight contests, but CSP snapped that streak two seasons ago, taking the second game of the doubleheader 3-1.
 
LAST MEETING WITH UMARY
In last year's matchup the Golden Bears swept the Marauders for the first time since 2012. In the first game, Nicole Thompson drove in a run in the bottom of the ninth inning to help CSP win in walk-off fashion.
 
The Bears took a 4-0 lead after the first three innings, but then the offense shifted to the Marauders as they scored the next six runs to take a 6-4 lead into the seventh. Concordia was able to tie the game up in the final inning, as Giese doubled to score Hannah Carlson and Knoche scored on a wild pitch. This sent the game to extra innings, setting up Thompson's late-inning heroics.
 
In the second game, Knoche allowed only one Marauder run and the offense used a big third inning to claim the win. It was UMary who scored first, using a pair of singles and a sacrifice fly to get a run across in the first inning. The Golden Bears answered in the third, scoring all five of their runs in the inning, all with two outs. The team capitalized on a Marauder error and four walks, as well as stringing together three hits, to take over the lead, heading into the fourth up 5-1.
 
These would prove to be all the runs the Bears would need, as Knoche and the defense shut down UMary's bats, only allowing runners to reach base in one of the last four innings.
 
ABOUT THE MARAUDERS
The Marauders enter the weekend with a 10-12 record and a 1-1 mark in conference play. They most recently split with Minot State, winning the first game 11-5 before falling 12-0 in the following game. As a team UMary hits for a .305 average, while allowing opponents to hit .322. UMary has hit nine home runs on the year, stolen 20 bases, and posted a .953 fielding percentage so far this season.
 
The Marauder lineup features two players hitting over .400 and two other players hitting over the .300 mark. Sophomore Kasidy Chileen leads the team with a .453 average and junior Rebekkah Keller is another offensive threat, hitting .418 while going 12-12 in stolen base attempts. All three UMary pitchers have ERAs over 7.00, but senior Brieann Backes has the best record at 7-4.