ST. PAUL, Minn. – With a sweep of MSU Moorhead (13-32, 7-21 NSIC) on Friday evening, the Concordia-St. Paul softball team (30-18, 17-11) extends their winning streak to eight straight games. With the wins, the Golden Bears record the most conference wins in a season since 2010 and reach the 30-win mark for the second season in a row, with games left to play.
 
CSP's offense had an impressive showing in the doubleheader, hitting for a .449 average with 22 hits on the day. Five Concordia players hit above .500 in the contests, led by junior Hannah Carlson who went 5-6 (.833) with a double, two runs, and four RBIs.
 
This performance was on par with how Carlson has been swinging lately, as she now has at least one hit in seven of the last eight games, including four games with multiple hits. She has also paced the team in RBIs in the past eight games, driving in 18 runs in that stretch.
 
Seniors Carlie Hart and Justine Schattner were right behind Carlson, combining for nine hits. In addition to her five hits in the doubleheader, which extended her hitting streak to 12 games, Hart also drove in four runs, scored twice, and stole three bases. Schattner had a team-high four runs in the games and one of her four hits was a homer, her fourth of the year.
 
The senior duo continues to chase Concordia records with two regular season games left to play. Hart is three runs away from breaking her own single-season runs record that she set in 2018 and Schattner is four RBIs away from becoming CSP's all-time leader.
 
GAME 1: CONCORDIA-ST. PAUL 9, MSU MOORHEAD 5
A 12-7 hit advantage in game one helped the Golden Bears earn a 9-5 decision over the Dragons, as CSP scored three runs late to seal the win. A four-run inning in the top of the sixth for MSUM made it a one-run game (6-5), but Concordia's offense answered with three runs of their own to give themselves some breathing room.
 
Samantha Sullivan earned her 12^th win of the season in the contest, pitching the first 5.1 innings. The junior right-hander gave up five runs (two earned) in her start on seven hits while striking out three. Junior Kali Kaestner pitched the final 1.1 innings in relief, giving up zero runs on no hits. This was Kaestner's fourth save of the year.
 
Hannah Carlson went a perfect 4-4 in the game, driving in two runs and Hart made the most of her two hits to drive in a team-high three runs. Schattner added a pair of RBIs as well, going 3-4 at the plate.
 
Concordia wasted no time offensively, scoring two runs in the bottom of the first inning. Kris McIntyre started the rally with a walk and then proceeded to steal her 26^th base of her junior season. Schattner drove her home on a hard-hit ball through the right side and advanced to second on the throw home. This put her in good position to score when Hannah Carlson hit a single through the left side.
 
The Beavers got one of those runs back in the second with a solo home run from sophomore Elizabeth Johnson to cut the lead in half, 2-1.
 
The third inning was scoreless, with each team stranding a runner on base. The Bears would expand their lead in the following two innings, though, scoring two runs in each of the fourth and fifth frames. A single up the middle from Hart scored the two runs in the fourth and a Schattner homer and sacrifice fly from Amanda Parsons scored the two runs in the fifth. These runs put CSP ahead 6-1.
 
A pair of two-run home runs from the Dragons in the sixth got the game within one for MSUM, with CSP holding onto a 6-5 lead.
 
The Bears responded with three runs of their own in the bottom of the inning, although they wouldn't need them, as Kaestner retired MSU Moorhead in order in the seventh to close out the game.
 
GAME 2: CONCORDIA-ST. PAUL 9, MSU MOORHEAD 0 (5 INNINGS)
In game two Concordia collected their third shutout of the year in a five-inning 9-0 win. Kaestner only allowed two hits in the outing, pitching her first complete game shutout of her CSP career. The Bears once again reached double-digit hits, holding a 10-2 edge.  
 
Seven different players helped CSP reach that 10-hit mark, with Hart leading the way going 3-3 with three stolen bases. Freshman Emma Adamek also had multiple hits, going 2-3 while also scoring a run.
 
As they have done in seven of their past eight games, the Golden Bears scored in the first inning to give themselves an early lead. Hart led off the inning with a single, stole her way around the bases, and scored on a fielder's choice.
 
CSP added multiple runs in each of the next three innings, giving themselves a comfortable lead. In the second, Adamek and Cam Veenbaas singled to start the rally and both would eventually score. Adamek scored on a Hart single and Veenbaas scored on a sacrifice fly from McIntyre, putting CSP up 3-0.
 
In the third, Hannah Carlson and Hanna Mortenson both walked to start the inning and both scored on a double from Parsons, who would also score later in the inning on a single from Adamek.
 
The Concordia scoring was capped off in the fourth, with McIntyre scoring on a single from Hannah Carlson and then both Schattner and Bliese (who was running for Carlson) scoring on a double from Mortenson. This put CSP up 9-0, which was enough to end the game in five-innings, as Kaestner pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the fifth to secure the win.
 
The Golden Bears will look to add to their longest winning streak of the season on Sunday when they will take on Northern State for Senior Day at Carlander Field. This doubleheader will wrap up the regular season for the Golden Bears and is set to start at 12 p.m.