ST. CLOUD, Minn. – In their opening doubleheader of the weekend, the Concordia-St. Paul softball team (21-15, 8-8 NSIC) fell twice to St. Cloud State (29-11, 11-5 NSIC), 7-2 in game one and 2-1 in an 11-inning game two. With the wins, St. Cloud State evens up the all-time series with the Golden Bears, at an even 21-21 record.
 
Senior Justine Schattner had a solid day at the plate for Concordia, going 3-6 with a walk. Sophomore Hanna Mortenson and junior Hannah Carlson combined to drive in all of CSP's runs throughout the two games, with Mortenson hitting a single that drove in two runs in game one and Carlson hitting a sacrifice fly in game two to get a run across.
 
The Golden Bears will close out the weekend with another doubleheader, this time taking on Minnesota Duluth tomorrow. The game will be played in St. Cloud at the Husky Dome and is set to start at 7 a.m.
 
GAME 1: ST. CLOUD STATE 7, CONCORDIA-ST. PAUL 2
The Golden Bears fell in game one, as St. Cloud State recorded 10 hits to score seven runs, while CSP was held to six hits, only scoring twice. Schattner and Mortenson paced Concordia's offense, with Schattner coming up with two hits and Mortenson driving in two runs.
 
Senior Carlie Hart, junior Kris McIntyre, and Hannah Carlson also tallied hits in the game. With McIntyre's single in the sixth inning, she extended her reached base streak to 28 straight games, which is the longest streak of any CSP player since 2001.
 
Junior Aryka Knoche pitched the first five innings for the Golden Bears, eventually taking the loss to move to 8-6 on the year. She gave up seven runs (four earned) on ten hits and three walks while striking out five. Junior Kali Kaestner pitched the final inning in relief stranding two runners on base striking out an SCSU batter to end the inning.
 
The first three innings were scoreless for both teams in game one with only two hits occurring throughout that time. CSP broke through in the fourth inning when both Hart and Schattner singled to start the inning. Mortenson then drove them both in with a single. This put the Bears up 2-0 heading into the bottom of the inning. This was Mortenson's sixth game of the season with multiple RBIs.
 
The Huskies answered Concordia's runs with four of their own, using four hits and a walk to get four runs across. Their offense did not let up in the following inning, either, scoring three more runs to give themselves an even bigger lead. This time SCSU capitalized on four hits and a CSP error to make it 7-2.
 
The Golden Bears got some offense going in the sixth inning, hoping to cut down the lead, as McIntyre and Schattner got on with no outs. However, the Huskies recorded the final three outs to get out of the inning with no damage. CSP was held hitless in the final inning, allowing St. Cloud to maintain their 7-2 lead.  
 
GAME 2: ST. CLOUD STATE 2, CONCORDIA-ST. PAUL 1 (11 innings)
Game two needed extra innings to determine a winner, with St. Cloud State hitting a walk-off triple to score a runner on first to come away with a 2-1 win after 11 innings. Hits were harder to come by throughout the game as Schattner was the only player of either team to record a hit in the first seven innings of play.
 
Concordia's starting pitcher Samantha Sullivan had an impressive performance in the circle, giving up only five hits and reaching a new career-high for strikeouts with 12. Sullivan had a no-hitter going through the first seven innings before St. Cloud State rallied for five hits within the final four extra innings.  
 
Neither team was able to score through the first eight innings, with Concordia only having two baserunners on in that time as Mortenson was hit by a pitch in the second and Schattner singled in the fourth.
 
In the ninth inning, freshman Emma Adamek started off the inning with a double for CSP. Sophomore Meagan Bliese came in to pinch run for Adamek and after both Hart and Schattner were intentionally walked, was able to score on a sacrifice fly from Hannah Carlson. Hart, who was on second, also attempted to score on the sacrifice fly but was thrown out at the plate.
 
The Huskies answered this run with two doubles in the bottom of the inning to tie it up at 1-1. Both teams had a runner on in the 10^th, but neither team was able to get them into scoring position. SCSU's runner walked to open the inning, but was thrown out stealing by catcher Amanda Parsons.
 
In the 11^th, the Huskies were able to score as Maya Keating singled and was driven in on a triple from Jasmin Estrada, ending the game with a 2-1 final.