TUCSON, Ariz. – The Concordia-St. Paul baseball team (7-1) picked up their third shutout in eight games with a 4-0 win over Southwest Minnesota State (0-3) on Friday night in the Tucson Invitational Games.
 
Junior Louie Varland (2-0) followed up a strong effort in the season opener with an even better outing against the Mustangs as he worked 8.0 scoreless innings and allowed just six hits while striking out 11. The 11 strikeouts were a career high for Varland as he reached double figures for the second time in his career. His eight scoreless frames dropped his season ERA to 0.69 through his first 13.0 innings of work.
 
Sophomore left-hander Luke DeGrammont finished the job for Concordia as he came in and worked a tidy ninth, retiring the side in order on just 11 pitches.
 
At the plate, CSP was opportunistic as they took advantage of some SMSU miscues in the field to turn five hits into four runs. Leading the way was shortstop Patrick Bordewick. Bordewick delivered the go-ahead runs with a two-run single in the third before adding another hit in the seventh to finish the game 2-4 with a pair of RBIs. Jarod Wandersee added his first career RBI with a big two-out single in the sixth while Ryan Christopher and Steven Nessler contributed singles as well.
 
For the Mustangs on the mound, John Bezdicek (0-1) took the loss despite allowing just two hits over 5.2 innings. The left-hander gave up four runs and walked four while striking out five. Josh Meyer and Donny Schroeder combined to work 2.1 shutout innings out of the bullpen.
 
Despite the Mustangs putting a pair of runners on in two of the first three innings, it was the Golden Bears that opened the scoring as they plated a pair of runs in the bottom of the third. A walk, a fielder's choice in which no out was recorded, and an error loaded the bases with nobody out as Whittaker stepped up to the plate. The senior delivered a bouncing ball single through the left side of the infield to score two before moving up to second on an errant throw from the left fielder. SMSU limited the damage, however, as a pair of strikeouts and a lineout left two in scoring position to keep it at 2-0.
 
The score held until the bottom half of the sixth as the Golden Bears doubled their lead. A one-out Ryan Christopher walk followed by a perfectly executed bunt for a hit for Steven Nessler to put runners on the corners. Nessler then stole second to set up an RBI groundout for Drew Sannes. After a pitching change, Wandersee lined a single up the middle to score Nessler and close the book on Bezdicek as CSP took a four-run lead into the seventh.
 
That proved to be all the scoring for the game as both pitching staffs took care of business over the final three frames.
 
CSP is scheduled for a pair of contests tomorrow as they take on Jamestown at 1 p.m. and Minot State at 5 p.m.