ST. PAUL, Minn. – On a chilly Tuesday afternoon, the Concordia-St. Paul softball team (18-10, 5-3 NSIC) split with Upper Iowa (11-12, 3-5 NSIC), winning the first game 7-1 before falling in game two, 9-5. This was the Golden Bears' first split of the conference season, as they are now 5-3 in NSIC play.
 
With the split, the Bears are now 24-14 in their all-time series history with the Peacocks, and this is the seventh time the teams have split since opening the series in 2004.
 
CSP and UIU were evenly matched offensively, as Concordia held a slight 17-16 edge in hits on the day. The Golden Bears, however, unleashed for five home runs throughout the doubleheader, three of which were hit all in the same inning.
 
Other highlights of the contests include senior Justine Schattner passing the 200 career hit mark with her second at-bat of the day, becoming the ninth CSP player to ever reach the milestone. Teammate Carlie Hart also topped 200 career hits earlier this season and now has 223 total hits, which ranks fifth on CSP's all-time list.  
 
Kris McIntyre and Hart also each extended their reached base streak, with McIntyre at a team-leading 21 games and Hart not far behind with 16 consecutive games reaching base.    
 
GAME 1: CONCORDIA-ST. PAUL 7, UPPER IOWA 1
In game one, the Bears scored in three different innings and only allowed one Peacock runner to score to claim a 7-1 win. The scoring was highlighted by a four-run fourth inning that broke a 1-1 tie.
 
Concordia had six hits in the contest, dispersed throughout the lineup with six different players each collecting a hit. The Bears also took advantage of five walks and two hit-by-pitches in the game.
 
Junior Aryka Knoche improved to 7-3 on the year in the circle, going the distance for the Golden Bears. Knoche gave up six hits and one run, striking out four batters while walking only one.
 
For the 11^th time this season, the Golden Bears scored in the first inning, giving them a quick 1-0 lead over the Peacocks. Hart led off the game getting hit by a pitch, and made her way around the bases, stealing second and advancing to third on a wild pitch. Schattner drove her home, hitting a hard line out to right field, allowing her to score.
 
The Peacocks tied it up in the top of the fourth, using two singles and a walk to get one across. Knoche got out of the inning without any further damage, stranding an Upper Iowa runner on base.
 
The Bears answered in a big way in the bottom of the inning, scoring four runs on two hits, two walks, a hit-by-pitch and an UIU error. Sophomore Amanda Parsons led off getting hit by a pitch and was driven in when Hannah Carlson hit a two-run home run to right field.
 
Makenna Giese started the rally all over again, getting on base with a walk. Hart followed that up with a walk of her own and they both advanced when McIntyre singled to center field. Schattner then hit a sharp grounder to short that was missed by the Upper Iowa shortstop, allowing both Giese and Hart to score. This put Concordia up 5-1.
 
CSP tacked on two more runs in the fifth inning, when Giese homered to left field, also scoring freshman Emma Adamek, who was pinch running for Hannah Carlson.
 
Upper Iowa had singles in each of the sixth and the seventh innings, but were unable to get anything else going offensively as the Bears secured their fifth NSIC win of the season with the 7-1 decision.
 
GAME 2: UPPER IOWA 9, CONCORDIA-ST. PAUL 5
The Golden Bears dropped game two in heart-breaking fashion as they tied up the game in the sixth inning with three home runs, only to see Upper Iowa rally for four runs in the seventh to earn the win.
 
CSP held an 11-10 advantage in the hits category, but could not overcome four errors in the field, which led to eight unearned runs.
 
The top of the lineup continued their consistent offensive presence for the Bears, as each Hart, McIntyre, and Schattner recorded two hits in the game. Hannah Carlson also had a multiple-hit game, singling in the second and hitting a home run in the sixth.
 
Upper Iowa scored first, scoring one run in both the second and third innings. Katie Crogan started off their scoring, hitting a hard shot to right field that hit off the glove of CSP's fielder and went over the fence. In the third, Jenny Budds doubled, advanced to third on a single, and scored on a double steal.
 
Concordia got one of those runs back in the bottom of the third. Hart led off getting hit by a pitch and stole second base. She then moved to third when McIntyre came up with a bunt single. This allowed her to score on a Knoche line drive to left field.
 
The Peacocks added to their lead in the fifth, scoring three more runs on two hits and a CSP error. Kaylee Frenette got on with an error, made her way around the bases, and scored on an infield single. In the next at-bat Crogan homered to left center to give UIU a 5-1 lead.
 
Hart got the offense going again in the bottom of the fifth, hitting a single to centerfield and stealing second to get in scoring position. She moved over to third on a groundout and scored when Schattner singled through the right side.
 
The Golden Bears would add three more runs in the following inning, hitting three solo homers. Hannah Carlson started the home run streak with her second homer of the day, driving the ball over the right field fence. Freshman Katie Carlson followed that up with her first career home run and Hart capped off the scoring with a blast over the centerfield wall. This tied the game up at five runs apiece heading into the final inning.
 
Upper Iowa retook the lead in the top of the seventh, scoring four runs on four hits while also taking advantage of a CSP error. This proved to be enough, as the Bears were held scoreless in the bottom of the inning.
 
Samantha Sullivan took the loss on the mound, despite only giving up one earned run in her seven innings pitched. The junior right-hander struck out two and walked one in the outing, moving to 8-5 on the season.
 
UP NEXT
The Golden Bears will continue their homestand with doubleheaders against Wayne State and Augustana this weekend. Live stats and a live video stream (weather permitting) will be available, with links on the softball schedule page.