ST. PAUL, Minn. – Continuing their stretch of road games, the Concordia-St. Paul softball team (21-13, 8-6 NSIC) will travel to St. Cloud State and Minnesota Duluth over the weekend to matchup with two teams who are currently slightly ahead of them in the conference standings. Both Saturday's and Sunday's games are set for a 12 p.m. first pitch.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Golden Bears are coming off a split in their last doubleheader, falling to Sioux Falls in game one, but rallying for a game two victory. CSP's bats were rather quiet in game one, as they were outhit 14-5 in the contest, but in game two the Bears rattled off a season-high 17 hits to outhit the Cougars 17-11.
 
In the first game, it was Concordia who struck first, scoring in the top of the second inning when sophomore Amanda Parsons singled, stole second, and scored when senior Makenna Giese singled. This was the only time the Bears were able to score however, being unable to keep pace with Sioux Falls who scored in three separate innings to compile a 5-1 win.
 
In game two, the roles were reversed as CSP was more active offensively, scoring six runs in the first two innings to give themselves an early edge. The Golden Bears would also add four more runs between the sixth and seventh innings. The Cougars scored three runs in the fourth and tacked on two more in the seventh, but were unable to get any more across, giving Concordia the 10-5 decision.
 
Every player in the Bears' starting lineup tallied at least one hit in game two, with five different players recording multiple hits. The top of the lineup hit especially well, as Carlie Hart, Kris McIntyre, and Justine Schattner all came up with three hits. Schattner and sophomore Hanna Mortenson led the team in RBIs in the game with three apiece.
 
ST. CLOUD STATE SERIES HISTORY
The Golden Bears and the Huskies have a fairly even series record, with CSP holding a slight 21-19 advantage. St. Cloud State opened the series winning the first five games from 2002 to 2004, but Concordia had a strong winning streak of their own winning 11 games straight against SCSU from 2007 to 2011. More recently the Huskies have won four of the last six contests between the two teams. When playing in St. Cloud, the Bears hold a 12-8 record against SCSU.
 
LAST MEETING WITH SCSU
In last year's doubleheader with the Huskies, Concordia split, winning the first game 3-2, but falling in the finale 3-1. The Golden Bears held a 12-7 edge in hits between the two contests and CSP's offense was led by Hart and Nicole Thompson, who each had three hits on the day.
 
In game one it was St. Cloud State who scored first, taking advantage of a CSP error to get a run across in the first inning. The Huskies were then held scoreless for the next five innings, before getting an additional run in the seventh. The Bears' first run of the game came from a Parsons' homer in the second inning. CSP took over the lead in the third inning, when Hart scored due to a SCSU error. The final Concordia run was scored in the fifth, when Schattner hit a sac fly to score Hart.
 
CSP would need all of these runs, as the Huskies put together a comeback effort in the seventh, getting one run across to make it 3-2. However, the Golden Bears got out of the inning, stranding the tying run on second base.
 
In game two the Huskies used a pair of solo home runs to take a 2-0 lead after the first four innings. SCSU added another run in the fifth using a double and single to score. The Huskies would hold onto this 3-0 lead into the bottom of the seventh inning. The Golden Bears mounted a comeback, loading the bases with two outs. Giese, in a pinch hitting appearance, came up with a clutch single to get one run across, but the Huskies recorded the final out in the next batter, leaving the bases loaded and the winning run on first base, giving SCSU a 3-1 win.
 
ABOUT THE HUSKIES
St. Cloud State is 27-11 on the year and 9-5 in the NSIC. This conference record puts them slightly ahead of the Golden Bears in the standings with the Huskies currently sitting in fourth place. The Huskies enter the weekend with a five game winning streak, most recently sweeping MSU Moorhead and UMary.
 
The Huskies have an impressive offense, as they currently lead the NSIC in batting average at .349 and are tied with Augustana for the most runs scored (269). In addition they are tied for the most home runs on the season (39) and have the most stolen bases of any team in the league (119).
 
Freshman Jasmin Estrada paces that offense, leading the team in most offensive statistical categories, including batting average (.444), hits (52), RBIs (49), and slugging percentage (.786). The Huskies have seven other players hitting over .300. Kate Kopeck and Sydney Lapoint share the majority of the innings pitched for SCSU. Kopeck owns a 2.24 ERA and has struck out 105 batters on the season. Lapoint has a 3.36 ERA, striking out 52 batters while walking only nine.  
 
MINNESOTA DULUTH SERIES HISTORY
The Golden Bears hold a 22-34 all-time record against the Bulldogs since playing them consistently from the 2000 season. CSP has held the longest win streak within that period, winning nine in a row against UMD from 2004 to 2007. In their meetings in the past few years, Minnesota Duluth has won four of the last five matchups, including the last four in a row. When playing UMD on the road, the Bears are 3-7, last winning in Duluth in 2015.
 
LAST MEETING WITH UMD
The Bears met the Bulldogs earlier this season for a non-conference doubleheader that was played in the West St. Paul Dome towards the end of February. Minnesota Duluth was successful in both contests, winning 6-5 and 4-2.
 
In game one Schattner got CSP on the board in the first inning, hitting a two-run home run to centerfield. The Bulldogs answered with runs of their own in the bottom of the inning, using a base-clearing double to score three runs. UMD would build up this lead to 6-2 after six innings. From here, the Golden Bears put together a rally in the seventh, scoring three runs on three hits. The Bulldogs were able to work out of it, though, stranding the tying run on second base.
 
Hart, Aryka Knoche, and Hannah Carlson paced the offense in the game with two hits apiece, with Carlson also driving in two runs.
 
In game two Concordia also scored first, taking a 2-0 lead after two innings of play. UMD tied it up in the fourth with three singles that got two runs across. The Bulldogs then added a run in each of the sixth and seventh innings to claim the win. CSP only had two hits in the game, one from Hart and one from Giese. Carlson had the lone RBI in game for Concordia.  
 
ABOUT THE BULLDOGS
Minnesota Duluth is 20-13 on the season and 11-3 in conference competitions. The team's only losses in NSIC play have been two to Augustana and one to Northern State. The Bulldogs are most recently coming off a split with Northern State, where they won the first game 5-4, but fell in game two 4-5.
 
As a team, UMD hits for a .265 average and has posted a .955 fielding percentage. They've hit 27 homers on the year and have three players hitting over .300, being led by sophomore Jordyn Thomas, who is hitting for a .337 average with 33 hits and 21 RBIs.
 
In the circle, the innings are divided mostly between freshman Sam Pederson and junior Brenna Swint. Both pitchers have below a 3.30 ERA and are holding teams to hitting .270 or less. Pederson is 11-4 on the year with a 2.75 ERA and 10 complete games. Swint is 9-8 on the season with 15 complete games, leading the team in strikeouts with 67.