SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The Concordia-St. Paul baseball team (20-26, 11-22 NSIC) dropped the first game of the weekend to Sioux Falls (12-36, 10-24 NSIC) by a score of 4-2.
 
The Cougars scored in each of the first two innings and led throughout to cut CSP's lead in the all-time series to 17-8.
 
Roch Whittaker grabbed two of the team's five hits and connected on his first home run of the season. Patrick Bordewick added a hit and an RBI while Cole Kirchoff chipped in a single and a steal. Isaac Hormann also contributed a hit and Jarod Wandersee reached on an error and scored the team's second run.
 
Josh Gaworski (1-3) got the start and took the loss for the Golden Bears as he worked the first 5.0 innings, allowing three runs on four hits while striking out four. Connor Hurley added 3.0 innings of one-run ball, giving up three hits and picking up three strikeouts.
 
Keenahn Coyle (2-7) made life tough on the CSP hitters as he allowed just four hits and two runs (one earned) in 8.0 innings in a win. Jackson Olson followed with a shutout ninth to tally his first save of the year.
 
The Cougars opened the scoring in their half of the first as the first three USF hitters reached base to load the bases with nobody out. Gaworski limited the damage, however, as he coaxed a sacrifice fly for the first out of the inning before grabbing a fly ball double play to keep it at 1-0.
 
The lead was doubled one inning later as a hit by pitch and a single set up a run-scoring wild pitch. Gaworski once again avoided more trouble as he retired the final three hitters of the inning to strand runners at second and third.
 
It was two-out hitting that led to a run for Sioux Falls in the fourth as Connor King drew a walk and moved up on a wild pitch before Grant Lung drove him in with a single to bring the score to 3-0 heading to the fifth.
 
CSP brought an end to Coyle's shutout bid in the fifth as Roch Whittaker deposited a one-out, 1-2 pitch over the left field wall to close the gap to two.
 
USF had the lead back to three in the sixth with some small ball with a leadoff double followed by two straight sacrifice bunts to bring home their fourth run of the contest.
 
Concordia was back within two in the eighth as they utilized a Sioux Falls error to set up a Bordewick RBI fielder's choice, but that would be all the closer they would get as the Cougars sealed the series-opening 4-2 win.
 
The Golden Bears will wrap up the season tomorrow with a doubleheader against the Cougars. First pitch in game one is scheduled for noon.