ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Golden Bear softball team (20-12, 7-5 NSIC) continues with their conference schedule, heading to South Dakota to take on Sioux Falls (15-18, 5-7 NSIC) on Tuesday. The doubleheader was originally scheduled for Wednesday, but was pushed up due to expected rain in Sioux Falls. Game times will also be pushed back an hour, now set for 3 and 5 p.m.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Concordia split in their last weekend of games, sweeping Wayne State but dropping two to #12 Augustana. The offense shined in their series with WSC, as the Golden Bears outhit the Wildcats 24-11 throughout the two games. Against Augustana, however, CSP was outhit 24-3, allowing the Vikings to take home both victories.
 
Against Wayne State, the Bears cruised to 15-3 five-inning win in the first game and pulled off a walk-off win in game two, 5-4. In game one, five different CSP players tallied multiple hits, including Hanna Mortenson who went 3-3 with a pair of doubles and a home run, driving in four runs. Carlie Hart also had three hits and drove in two runs. In game two, the Bears were led by Justine Schattner who went 3-4 at the plate. Between the two games, Makenna Giese went a perfect 4-4 while also driving in four runs.
 
In their games against Augustana, Concordia recorded only three hits throughout the doubleheader which all came in the first game. Hart had one of those hits, hitting a double to center to drive in CSP's lone run. The Augie offense was more active using 24 hits throughout the two games to win 7-1 and 10-1 in five innings.
 
SIOUX FALLS SERIES HISTORY
The Golden Bears and the Cougars will meet for the 13^th time on Tuesday, as USF holds a 9-3 advantage in the series history. Heading into last season's doubleheader, Sioux Falls had won the past five games straight, but CSP broke that streak, defeating the Cougars 8-1. When playing on the road, Concordia is 1-3 against USF, last winning in Sioux Falls in 2014.
 
LAST MEETING WITH USF
In last season's doubleheader, the Golden Bears split with the Cougars, falling in game one 5-3, but rallying to win game two, 8-1.
 
In the first game, the Cougars hit a grand slam in the first inning scoring four quick runs. CSP answered with a 2-run home run of their own hit by Nicole Thompson, which was the first homer of her career. The Bears got another run back in the third, when Thompson scored on a double from Haley Schanks. This was as close as Concordia would get, though, as USF scored another run in the fifth to secure a 5-3 win.
 
In game two, Aryka Knoche pitched a two-hitter helping CSP to an 8-1 win. This time it was the Golden Bears' turn to score first, unloading for five runs in the first inning. Concordia added three more runs in the next two innings, making it 8-0 in favor of CSP. The Cougars got one run back in the fourth which prolonged the game, but neither team would score after that, allowing the Bears to win 8-1. Schattner, Knoche, and Lily Langevin all had two hits in the game, and Knoche and Cam Veenbaas drove in two runs.
 
ABOUT THE COUGARS
Sioux Falls is 15-18 on the season with a 5-7 record in NSIC games. The Cougars have lost their last three games, including a pair of games against #21 Winona State that were decided by two runs or less. With opponents they have in common with Concordia, they have had the same results, sweeping Wayne State and splitting with Upper Iowa.
 
As a team, the Cougars are hitting for a .272 average with a .966 fielding percentage. Opponents are hitting .305 against Sioux Falls with a .463 slugging percentage. USF has hit 28 home runs and stolen 31 bases on the year.
 
Four of Sioux Falls' regular batters are hitting over .300, being led by the freshman duo of Sarah Keen and Lexie Swift, who are both hitting above .380. Senior Emily Hove is also a strong hitter for the Cougars, hitting for a .300 average while being tied for the most hits (34) and leading the team in RBIs (23).
 
Senior Kerrigan Hoshaw and junior Courtney Mathews have split the majority of the innings in the circle for the Cougars with both recording a 6-7 record and ERAs over 3.00. Hoshaw leads the team in K's on the year with 64, which ranks ninth in the NSIC.
 
KEY STATS
-Kris McIntyre has reached base at least once in each of the last 25 games, which is the longest streak of any CSP player since 2012. The junior leads the Bears with a .418 batting average, which ranks sixth in the conference. Her .511 on-base percentage also paces Concordia, ranking third in the NSIC.
-As a team the Golden Bears are hitting for a .310 average, which ranks sixth among all conference teams. Their .962 fielding percentage also ranks high in the NSIC, coming in at fifth-best.
-Carlie Hart has the most hits of any player on the CSP roster with 44, which ranks fifth in the NSIC. Hart also leads the conference in stolen bases with 30.
-Hart and Aryka Knoche are both hitting for a .400 average which ranks tied for ninth-best in the league.
-Justine Schattner is leading the team in RBIs with 26 so far on the year which ranks 10^th in the NSIC.