ST. PAUL, Minn. – After six games on the road, the Golden Bear softball team (17-9, 4-2 NSIC) will have their first home games this week, hosting Upper Iowa (10-11, 2-4 NSIC) on Tuesday at Carlander Field. Concordia will continue their homestand over the weekend, with home games against Wayne State and Augustana.   
 
LAST TIME OUT
In the conference opener, CSP swept Minnesota State, 4-3 and 4-0, which marked the first time that the Bears had swept the Mavericks since the 2012 season. The Golden Bears then split the weekend, falling twice to Minot State, but sweeping UMary in the week's finale.
 
Both games against Minot State were offensive battles, as the Bears tallied 22 hits between the two contests. The Beavers, however, rapped out 13 hits in each game to earn both wins. In game one, the Bears tied up the game with a four-run second inning and took over the lead with a run in the fourth. Minot State got a run across in each of the fifth and sixth innings, and CSP was unable to answer, going down 1-2-3 in the top of the seventh, giving Minot a 6-5 win.
 
In game two, the Golden Bears trailed Minot State 5-3 after four innings, but the Beavers tacked on four more runs in the sixth to extend their lead. Concordia got one run back in the seventh and threatened to make a full comeback, as they had bases loaded with no outs, but the Beavers closed the door getting the next three outs, winning 9-4.
 
In the first game against UMary on Sunday, the Golden Bears tied their season-high in hits with 15 on their way to a six-inning 14-6 win. CSP scored six early runs, but the Marauders tied it up in the third. However, the Bears rallied for two runs in the fourth and six runs in the sixth to secure the run-rule victory.
 
Concordia used a big fifth inning in game two to propel them to a 7-4 win. Senior Justine Schattner and sophomore Hanna Mortenson contributed to the five-run fifth inning in a big way, as Schattner drove in two runs on a single and Mortenson hit a three-run homer. Junior Samantha Sullivan recorded her sixth complete game with the win, improving her season record to 8-4.  
 
UPPER IOWA SERIES HISTORY
The Golden Bears and the Peacocks are meeting for the 37^th time in their series history, as CSP currently holds a 23-13 record in those contests. Concordia opened the series in dominant fashion, winning 18 of the first 21 games between 2004 and 2012. More recently, Upper Iowa has won seven of the last 11 contests between the two teams, including the last two in a row. When playing at home, as they do this week, CSP is 6-4 against UIU.
 
LAST MEETING WITH UIU
Concordia has met with Upper Iowa once already this year, playing them in the West St. Paul dome in late February. Both teams struggled offensively in the contest, with the Peacocks coming away with a 1-0 win.
 
Despite only recording three hits in the game, the Golden Bears had at least one baserunner on in six different innings, giving themselves chances to get on the board. Upper Iowa's Kaylee Frenette opened the third inning with a triple, scoring on a single in the next at-bat. This would be all the Peacocks would need, as Emily Kirsch pitched a complete game shutout.
 
ABOUT THE PEACOCKS
Upper Iowa is 10-11 on the season, with a 2-4 record in the NSIC. The Peacocks were swept by #22 Winona State in their conference opener, and then split with both MSU Moorhead and Northern State over the weekend.
 
As a team, the Peacocks are hitting for a .288 average and have hit 13 home runs on the season. They have stolen 17 bases and are fielding for a .950 average. Six of their players are hitting for a .300 average or better, being led by senior Julia Buffington who is hitting for a .452 average with a .762 slugging percentage.
 
Junior right-handed pitcher Emily Kisch has thrown the most innings for the Peacocks, collecting a 6-4 record with 40 strikeouts. She has a 3.19 ERA and has held opponents to a .279 average.
 
NSIC LEADERS
Throughout the season, the Golden Bears have had multiple players rank in the top-ten in the conference in a number of statistical categories.

-Kris McIntyre ranks second in the NSIC in batting average (.452) and leads the league in on-base percentage (.534).
-Carlie Hart leads the conference in stolen bases (27) while also ranking 11^th in batting average (.407), third in runs (28), and tied for third in hits (37).
-Aryka Knoche ranks eighth in the NSIC in batting average (.417) while also ranking 15^th in ERA (2.79).
-Samantha Sullivan ranks 10^th in the conference in both ERA (2.25) and strikeouts (56).