KISSIMMEE, Fla. –  In day two of Concordia-St. Paul's spring games in Florida, the Golden Bears (6-5) split, defeating Malone (2-2) 9-4, but falling to Cedarville (7-1) 4-3 in the nightcap. CSP came from behind in the first game, overcoming a 4-2 deficit, scoring the last seven runs of the game to secure the win. In their second game, Concordia's comeback attempt fell just short, allowing Cedarville to walk away with a victory for the second year in a row.
 
Concordia recorded 20 hits on the day, tallying a season-high 14 against Malone. Sophomore Amanda Parsons and junior Aryka Knoche had the hot bats in game one, as they each had three hits in the game. All three of Parsons hits were doubles, as she drove in two runs, as well as scoring two runs of her own. Sophomore Hanna Mortenson also had a consistent day at the plate, going 3-6 with a walk and a pair of RBIs.
 
GAME 1: CONCORDIA-ST. PAUL 9, MALONE 4
In their first ever matchup with Malone, the Golden Bears were down at two different points, but used a five run fifth inning to put some distance between themselves and the Pioneers. Concordia tacked on two more runs in the sixth and did not allow a baserunner in the seventh to earn the win.
 
Eight different Golden Bears contributed to the season-high 14 hits in the contest, as Knoche, Parsons, Mortenson, and Meagan Bliese all had multiple hits. Parsons and Hannah Carlson led the team in RBIs, each driving in two runs.
 
It was the Pioneers who would get on the board first, as Bailey Byers hit a two-run home run to right center field to put Malone up 2-0 after three innings of play. The Golden Bears answered those runs in the following inning, scoring two of their own to tie it up. Parsons hit a double down the left field line, scoring Knoche from first and then H. Carlson drove in Parsons, who had advanced to third on a single from Makenna Giese, on a sacrifice fly to right field.
 
Both teams added runs in the fifth. Malone took advantage of a CSP error to score one run and then hit a triple to right to score another, putting them up 4-2 in the middle of the inning. CSP immediately rallied for five runs of their own in the bottom of the inning.
 
Senior Carlie Hart started the rally with an infield single and junior Kris McIntyre was then hit by a pitch. The pair stole second and third, and a throwing error from the catcher allowed Hart to score. McIntyre would also come across to score when Justine Schattner hit a grounder to second base. The Bears did not stop there, however, as Parsons later scored on a Malone error and Mortenson drove in Giese, who had reached on the error. Bliese capped off the big inning, hitting a single through the left side to score Cam Veenbaas.
 
CSP extended their lead in the sixth, tacking on two more runs, stringing together four hits, including another Parsons' double and an RBI single from H. Carlson.
 
Knoche went the distance in the circle, pitching her third complete game of the year as she improved her season mark to 4-1. The Little Canada native gave up seven hits in the game, and only two of the four runs she allowed were earned. Knoche struck out six in the contest, including three batters while there were runners in scoring position.  
 
GAME 2: CEDARVILLE 4, CONCORDIA-ST. PAUL 3
In their second game of the day, the Golden Bears outhit their opponents 6-5, but the Yellow Jackets took advantage of four CSP errors to come away with a win. Hart paced the offense in the contest, going 2-4 with an RBI.
 
Cedarville scored a run right away in the first inning, using two errors to get an unearned run across. The Bears evened the score in the third, as Veenbaas scored on a wild pitch to make it 1-1. The Yellow Jackets took over the lead once again in the bottom of the fourth as they used four hits and two CSP errors to score three more runs.
 
Giese started a rally in the top of the fifth inning for CSP, leading off with double down the left field line. H. Carlson followed that up with a single through the left side and then Hart came up with a big two-out single to score Giese, cutting the deficit in half, with Cedarville leading 4-2.
 
The Bears added another run in the sixth, as they loaded the bases and Mortenson walked, scoring Parsons from third. CSP was unable to get another runner across in the inning, leaving three runners on base, but only trailing by one run heading into the final inning. The Yellow Jackets came up with the final three outs in the top of the seventh, however, stopping a CSP comeback.
 
Junior Kali Kaestner pitched the first four innings in the game, allowing only one earned run on five hits. Teammate Samantha Sullivan came in to relieve Kaestner, pitching the final two innings without allowing a hit. Kaestner would take the loss and is now 0-2 on the year.
 
UP NEXT
Continuing with their Florida trip, the Golden Bears face off with Bloomfield and Saint Rose on Tuesday at the Hancock Complex. These games will be their fifth and sixth in a three-day span, before the team has a day off on Wednesday.