ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Concordia-St. Paul softball team (24-18, 11-11 NSIC) returned to .500 in conference play with a sweep of Bemidji State (22-24, 5-17 NSIC) at Carlander Field on Friday afternoon. The Golden Bears exploded for 13 runs in game one to claim a six-inning 13-5 win and held on for an 11-10 extra-inning win in game two.
 
Offense was a dominant theme in both games, as the Bears hit for an impressive .407 average and both teams combined for 11 home runs on the day.
 
Carlie Hart, Justine Schattner, and Hannah Carlson were the main leaders for CSP. Schattner led the team in hits with eight, posting an .800 batting average while driving in five runs and scoring four times. Hart tallied six hits on the day, scoring a team-best seven times and stealing five bases. Carlson paced the Bears in RBIs, driving in seven runs on five hits, two of which were home runs.
 
With her six hits in the doubleheader, Hart now has 243 career hits, needing just six more to become the new CSP all-time leader. Schattner also moved up the ranks on the career hit list, and now sits in sixth with 220 career hits.
 
GAME 1: CONCORDIA-ST. PAUL 13, BEMIDJI STATE 5 (6 INNINGS)
The Golden Bear lineup combined for 16 hits in game one leading to the team's fourth run-rule win of the season, defeating Bemidji State by a score of 13-5 in six innings. CSP's first four hitters had an especially productive game, tallying 11 of the Bears' hits while also driving in nine runs.
 
Schattner went a perfect 4-4 at the plate and Kris McIntyre was not far behind, recording three hits of her own. Both Hart and Carlson had two hits in the game, with Carlson driving in a game-high four runs. Sophomore Cam Veenbaas also had a multi-hit game, going 2-4.
 
Junior Kali Kaestner pitched all six innings for Concordia, giving up five runs (four earned) on five hits and two walks, while striking out two. Kaestner has given up five hits or less in each of her last four starts. The win improved her season record to 5-4.
 
It was the Beavers who scored first in the game, taking advantage of a CSP error to get a run in the top of the first. The Bears answered right away, scoring four runs on five hits in the bottom of the inning to take a 4-1 lead. Hart, McIntyre, and Schattner all singled to start the inning, with both Hart and McIntyre scoring on Schattner's single due to a throwing error by BSU's catcher. Schattner then scored when Carlson hit a double to right center.
 
The Golden Bears tacked on two more runs in the second inning, when Schattner singled through the right side to score Hart and Carlson hit a sac fly to score McIntyre. This gave CSP a 6-1 advantage.
 
Bemidji State would get the game back within one run, though, scoring one run in the fourth and three in the fifth. All four of their runs in these innings were the result of home runs, making it 6-5 in favor of the Golden Bears.
 
CSP rallied in the bottom of the fifth inning, getting all of those runs back and then some, as they scored six runs on six hits to once again give themselves a more comfortable lead. Their runs were highlighted by a Carlson two-run homer, an RBI-single from freshman Emma Adamek, a Hart triple that scored two runs, and a McIntyre single that scored Hart. CSP was now ahead 12-5.
 
Kaestner and the defense held BSU scoreless in the sixth, which allowed the Bears to end the game when Veenbaas drove in Amanda Parsons who had reached earlier in the inning.
 
GAME 2: CONCORDIA-ST. PAUL 11, BEMIDJI STATE 10 (12 INNINGS)
In contrast to game one, the second game of the doubleheader needed extra innings to finish, as the Bears pulled off an 11-10 win in the 12^th inning. After a fair amount of back-and-forth offense, the game was tied at 10 runs apiece after seven. The next four and a half innings were scoreless until CSP finally found a way to get a run across to earn the sweep.
 
The Golden Bears tied their season-high in hits in the game, holding a 17-13 edge over BSU in that category. Hart and Schattner had four hits apiece in the game, with Hart scoring four times and Schattner driving in three runs. Carlson also drove in three runs, on three hits of her own, one of which was a home run. This was Schattner's 12^th game this season with multiple RBIs and Carlson's ninth.
 
Once again, the Beavers jumped out in front in the first inning, this time hitting a two-run homer to left center to take an early 2-0 lead. The Bears would answer with a run, as Schattner drove in Hart on a sacrifice fly.
 
Samantha Sullivan pitched 1-2-3 innings in both the second and the third, allowing the Bears to take over the lead when they scored three runs in the bottom of the third. Schattner once again drove in Hart, this time on a single up the middle. Then Carlson hit her second bomb of the day and fourth of the season, putting CSP ahead 4-2.
 
Sullivan gave up a solo home run in the fourth, but Concordia added three more runs in the bottom of the inning on two home runs of their own to maintain a multiple-run lead. Parsons led off the inning with a solo shot and Hart later followed that up with a two-run homer, which was her fourth of the year.
 
In the fifth, the Beavers hit yet another home run, giving them another two runs to make the score 7-5 with the Bears still in the lead. Both teams scored three runs in the sixth, moving the score to 10-8 heading into the final inning.
 
In the seventh, Bemidji State's clean-up hitter came up with her first hit of the game, driving a ball over the centerfield wall to drive in two runs, making the game all tied up at 10 runs each. CSP was unable to answer despite getting two runners on with no outs. This sent the game to extra innings.
 
Both teams were retired 1-2-3 in the eighth and stranded two runners each in the ninth, keeping the score tied at 10. The Beavers had a runner on third in the 11^th, but Kaestner (who came in to relieve Sullivan earlier in the game) forced a shallow fly out to center and a pop-out to third to end the threat. In the bottom of the inning Veenbaas doubled but she also was unable to score.
 
In the 12^th, the Bears were able to get a run across. McIntyre opened the inning with a single which was followed up by a single from Schattner, allowing McIntyre to get to third. This put her in perfect position to score on a Carlson single to left field, giving CSP the 11-10 win.
 
Sullivan pitched the first five innings for the Golden Bears, giving up seven runs on five hits while walking two and striking out six. Kaestner pitched the final seven innings of the contest, allowing three runs on eight hits. Kaestner would earn the win, her second of the day, as she moves to 6-4 on the year.
 
Concordia returns to action tomorrow, as they will take on Minnesota Crookston at Carlander Field at 12 and 2 p.m. Live stats will be available with a link that can be found on the schedule page.