ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Golden Bear softball team (13-11, 7-3 NSIC) has rescheduled a doubleheader with Minnesota State (17-6, 6-4 NSIC). The conference matchup was originally scheduled at the end of March but was postponed due to COVID-19 protocols. The doubleheader will now be played on Thursday, April 15^th at Carlander Field, first pitch for game one is slated for 2 p.m.
 
The Golden Bears will also host Minnesota Duluth (20-6, 10-2 NSIC) on Saturday, April 17th at 1:30 p.m. for a doubleheader. Then St. Cloud State (16-6, 5-3 NSIC) will come to town for a doubleheader on Sunday, April 18^th for a 1 p.m. start time. 
 
CSP FAN POLICY
In accordance with MDH guidance, Concordia will be hosting spectators via home and visitor pass lists, submitted by each team. Family and friends must be pre-registered via player pass lists in order to attend. 
 
We ask that fans use the main entrance to Barnes Field only, located in center field of Barnes Field on the south side of the Gangelhoff Center, near Lot C. A designated check-in table will be provided. It is recommended that fans bring their own chair, as seating will be limited to the outfield area. Institutional Fan Protocol (PDF)

WATCH ONLINE - NSIC NETWORK
Powered by the NSIC Network, all Northern Sun home and away baseball games will be broadcast online, free of charge, weather permitting. Visit www.nsicnetwork.com/cspbears to watch the Golden Bears. Away games will feature production by the host institution, while home games are broadcast using BlueFrame Technology with the play-by-play call of Dan Flanagan, voice of the Golden Bears for over a decade. Flanagan is a St. Paul native who professionally trained in broadcasting at Fordham University in New York where he was the voice of the basketball and football teams, among other sports. NSIC Network Announcement & FAQ
 
WATCH ON YOUR TV
The NSIC Network, supported by BlueFrame Technology, is available to download on your favorite OTT providers like Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Android TV. Simply search for "NSIC" or "NSIC Network" and download the app for a full listing of Northern Sun action on your TV.  NSIC Network Announcement & FAQ
 
WATCH ON THE GO
Download the NSIC Network app in the Google Play Store or the App Store on your Apple device to watch on your smartphone, a new feature from BlueFrame Technology.  NSIC Network Announcement & FAQ
 
FOLLOW ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Not able to watch or keep an eye on live stats? Check in on social media by following our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram feeds. Each platform will have different levels of engagement. Twitter will offer scoring updates, Instagram will feature live look-ins and engaging content and Facebook is a great place to get links to previews, recaps and more. Simply search for CSP Bears on any of the platforms and remember to #BeGolden!

LAST TIME OUT
The Golden Bears were on a road this past week as they faced off with Upper Iowa on Tuesday, April 6^th. They swept the Peacocks and were looking pretty good heading into a difficult weekend. CSP took on #1 Augustana in Sioux Falls, S.D. on Saturday, April 10^th and were swept by the Vikings. Concordia then traveled to Wayne Neb. For a date with the Wildcats. Game one ended in a walk off by Wayne State but CSP got the bats going in game two to come away with a split. 
 
Tuesday, April 6^th
GAME ONE: Concordia-St. Paul 5, Upper Iowa 4
After Abby McKay set down the Golden Bears in order in the top of the first inning, the Peacocks put the first two batters on with a hit and a walk, Bryanna Olson was able to get a strike out, but Payton Kastenschmidt stepped up and hit a three-run home run to give the Peacocks an early 3-0 lead over CSP. After a quick second and third inning for both pitchers, Concordia was finally able to get onto the board in the top of the fourth inning. Clara Heislen led off with a double off of the center field wall. McKay was able to strikeout McIntyre and get Beseman to pop out to third base. It looked like she was about to strand Heislen at second when Aryka Knoche reached on a throwing error by the shortstop, which allowed Heislen to score and make it a 3-1 ball game. The Golden Bears were able to plate another run in the top of the fifth inning. Jacey Defries knocked a one out double to right center field, Taylor Griffin would single to left field, scoring Defries and making it a 3-2 game, chipping away at the Peacocks lead. CSP would take the lead in the sixth inning, Clara Heislen led off with a single down the left field line. After a fly out, Grace Beseman singled down the left field line, advancing Heislen to second base. Aryka Knoche had a chance to tie the game but she decided to do a little bit more with a huge three-run home run to left field to give Concordia a 5-3 lead. The Peacocks looked to get back into it in the bottom of the seventh inning and it was looking good for them when their leadoff batter got on after an error on the Golden Bears. Kali Kaestner relieved Olson and was looking to shut the door. She got back-to-back strikeouts to start her outing before Katie Crogan smoked an RBI double off the top of the right-center field wall to make it a 5-4 game. Kaestner was able to set down the next batter on a strikeout and lock down the 5-4 CSP win. 
 
GAME TWO: Concordia-St. Paul 8, Upper Iowa 1
It was the Golden Bears who struck first in game two. In the top of the second inning Amanda Parsons led off with a walk, Jacey Defries singled through the left side, advancing Parsons to second base. Taylor Griffin laid down a perfectly placed sacrifice bunt, advancing both the runners up a base. Then a passed ball allowed Parsons to score giving CSP an early 1-0 lead. Concordia would add a few more runs a couple innings later. In the top of the third inning Kris McIntyre laid down a one out bunt single, then Grace Beseman snuck a ball over the right center field wall for a two-run home run, her sixth of the season, giving CSP a 3-0 lead over Upper Iowa. The Golden Bears were not done as a batter later Amanda Parsons hit a mammoth home run to right field, her third of the season, making it 4-0 Golden Bears early in game two. An inning later the Golden Bears would add three more runs. Hanna Mortenson ripped a one out single, that was followed by a single through the right side by Ani Bell. Clara Heislen doubled to left center, scoring both Bell and Mortenson to make it 6-0. Kris McIntyre singled, sending Heislen to third and then Grace Besemansingled to right field, scoring Heislen and increasing Concordia's lead to 7-0. Concordia would tack on one more run in the top of the sixth inning. Kris McIntyre hit a one out double and Grace Beseman drove her in with a single to center field to make it 8-0. CSP tried to close it out in the bottom of the sixth inning but the Peacocks would extend the game a bit longer. Amanda Williams singled and then Katie Corgan reached on an error, Payton Kastenschmid reached on a fielder's choice as Corgan was out at second and Williams advanced to third. After a walk to load up the bases, Sadie Carpenter reached on another error by the Golden Bears, scoring Williams and getting the Peacocks on the board to make it 8-1. Aryka Knoche was able to get out of that jam as she finished off the game in the seventh inning to give the Golden Bears the 8-1 victory.
 
Saturday, April 10^th
GAME ONE: Concordia-St. Paul 0, Augustana 8 (5 innings) 
The Vikings struck fast and early as they hung three runs in the bottom of the first inning to take the lead. Mary Prado singled up the middle followed by a Kendall Cornick single down the left field line, advancing Prado to second base. Ashley Mickschl laid down a bunt single, yo load the bases up. Torri Chute then singled to left field, scoring Prado and advancing the runners up a base to keep them loaded. Abby Lein singled to left field, scoring Cornick and making it 2-0 Vikings. Delaney Young reached on a fielder's choice and Mickschl scored to make it 3-0 Augustana. In the bottom of the second inning, Abbie Lund led off with a walk, then she stole second base. Kendall Cornick doubled to left field, scoring Lund and making it 4-0 Vikings. In the top of the third inning the Vikings led off the inning with a solo shot by Torri Chute, Abby Lein then doubled to right field, Delaney Young fouled out to Meagan Bliese which allowed Lein to advance to third. Lein then scored on a wild pitch to make it 6-0 Augustana. After another walk and then a single, Mary Prado singled down the left field line, scoring Gracey Brink and making it a 7-0 ball game in the third inning.The Vikings would add one more run in the bottom of the fifth inning which would end the game because of the eight-run rule. After a quick out on a strikeout, Abbie Lund singled but was thrown out by Amanda Parsons trying to steal second for the second out. Mary Prado took it into her own hands and hit a solo shot to win the game for the Vikings 8-0.
 
GAME TWO: Concordia-St. Paul 0, Augustana 2
Game two was a closer matchup as pitching was on full display for both squads. The Vikings were able to strike early again. Mary Prado, who ended game one with a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth inning, picked up right where she left off with a solo shot to lead off the game and give Augustana a 1-0 lead. The Vikings put two runners in scoring position looking to tack on a few more in the bottom of the first, but Bryanna Olson was able to get Delaney Young to pop out to end the inning. After five straight scoreless innings by both pitchers, the Vikings were able to get an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth inning. After Bryanna Olson got Ashley Mickschl on a ground out, Torii Chute rocked a solo home run to center field to make it 2-0 Vikings. Olson was able to get the next two batters and the Golden Bear offense looked to spark a rally in the seventh. Amber Elliot struck out Heislen looking, got McIntyre swinging and was able to get Beseman on a groundout back to herself. She sealed the shutout victory and moved to 10-1 on the season.
 
Sunday, April 12^th
GAME ONE: Concordia-St. Paul 6, Wayne State 7
Game one was a back-and-forth affair, and the Golden Bears were the ones to get the party started in the top of the first inning. After two quick outs Grace Beseman sent a shot to left center for her team leading seventh home run of the season and to give CSP a 1-0 lead. Concordia would add another run in the top of the second inning. Taylor Griffin led off with a walk, then Hanna Mortenson walked to make it first and second with no outs. After back-to-back strikeouts for Sloan Cooksey, Clara Heislen singled to center field, scoring Griffin and making it 2-0 Golden Bears. The Wildcats would finally respond with a leadoff solo shot from Kamryn Sparks to right center field to cut the CSP lead to 2-1. Wayne State would tie the game in the bottom of the third inning. Kortney Buresh walked, and Kim Vidlak singled to short and Buresh advanced to second base. After a double steal, Ashley Hernandez reached on a fielding error which allowed Buresh to score and tie the game 2-2. The Golden Bears would take the lead in the top of the fifth inning. Grace Beseman hit a single to center field and then stole second base. Amanda Parsons hit an RBI single to right field, scoring Beseman and giving CSP a 3-2 lead. The Wildcats would take the lead in the bottom of the sixth inning. Kamryn Sparks led off the inning with a hit by pitch then Jenna Etmans hit a dramatic two-run home run to left center field to give Wayne State a 4-3 lead. The Golden Bears would retake the lead in the top of the seventh. Kris McIntyre led off with a single and then stole second base, she then advanced all the way to third on a wild pitch. Grace Beseman walked and then stole second to make it second and third with no one out for the Golden Bears. Aryka Knoche then hit a two-run single through the right side to give Concordia a 5-4 lead. The Golden Bears were looking to seal the deal in the bottom of the seventh inning, but the Wildcats had different plans. Emily Hale led off the inning with a single to third base, Kortney Buresh singled to left field, Hale advanced to second base. Kim Vidlak laid down a sac bunt, advancing both runners up a base. Ashley Hernandez singled to left field, scoring Hale and tying the game 5-5. CSP would take the lead one more time in the top of the ninth inning. Aryka Knoche led off with a walk, Amanda Parsons drove Knoche in on an RBI double to center field to give Concordia a 6-5 lead. The Wildcats would respond in a big way in the bottom of the ninth. Kortney Buresh led off with a single, Kim Vidlak followed with an RBI double, scoring Buresh and tying the game again at 6-6. Ashley Hernandez would walk and steal second base, Vidlak was thrown out by Parsons trying to snag third base. Kamryn Sparks grounded out advancing Hernandez to third base and then Jenna Etmans singled to left field, scoring Hernandez and walking it off for the Wildcats in a 7-6 win over the Golden Bears. 

GAME TWO: Concordia-St. Paul 7, Wayne State 3
After a long game one battle, Concordia looked to get on the board first and they did in the top of the first inning. Grace Beseman led off the game reaching on an error by the left fielder, Kris McIntyre was hit by a pitch to make it first and second. After a strikeout, Aryka Knoche hit a double to center field, scoring both Beseman and McIntyre, giving Concordia a 2-0 early lead. CSP would add another run in the top of the second inning. Amanda Parsons led off with a single and Hanna Mortenson reached on an error, advancing Parsons to second. After a pop out, Grace Beseman grounded out to third base, advancing both Mortenson and Parsons. Kris McIntyre then singled to left field, scoring Parsons and making it 3-0 Golden Bears.Concordia would keep the same theme going as they added another run in the top of the third inning. Amanda Parsons hit a two out single to right field and advanced to second base on an error by the right fielder. She then advanced to third base on a wild pitch and then scored on another wild pitch to make it 4-0 Golden Bears. The Golden Bears pushed across another run in the top of the fifth inning. Hannah Mihalik issued a one out walk and advanced to second base on a strikeout by the next batter. Amanda Parsons would drive her in with an RBI double to right center to make it 5-0. The Golden Bears would add two more runs in the top of the sixth inning. Kris McIntyre walked with two outs and then stole second. Clara Heislen doubled to left field, scoring McIntyre and making it 6-0. Aryka Knoche then singled to left field, scoring Heislen and making it 7-0 Golden Bears. Wayne State was able to get on the board in the bottom of the sixth inning. Riley Holmberg led off by reaching on an error. Katie Humburg then walked to make it first and second. Mary Krystofiak singled to left center, scoring Holmberg and advancing Humburg to get Wayne State on the board. Kortney Buresh singled down the left field line to load the bases. Kim Vidlak singled to shortstop, scoring Humburg to make it a 7-2 ball game. The Wildcats were not done yet as Ashley Hernandez flew out to center field, scoring Krystofiak on a sacrifice fly to make it a 7-3 game. Aryka Knoche was able to strand one runner in the bottom of the seventh inning to seal the game for the Golden Bears.
 
MINNESOTA STATE SERIES HISTORY
The Golden Bears and the Mavericks are meeting for the 54^th time in their series history, as Minnesota State currently holds a 36-17 record in those contests. Concordia and Minnesota State first played each other back in 2000. The Mavericks started on a hot streak, winning the first seven matchups up before CSP won seven straight games as well. Since that the Mavericks have carried a 29-11 record against CSP including an 8-2 record in the last 10 matchups with Concordia. 
 
LAST MEETING WITH MINNESOTA STATE
GAME 1: CONCORDIA-ST. PAUL 4, MINNESOTA STATE 3
Concordia used 11 hits in the first game to score a run in four different innings which proved to be enough as the Bears went on to win 4-3. The Mavericks, who were held scoreless through the first six innings, put together a comeback in the seventh, scoring three runs before pitcher Aryka Knoche forced a groundout to Schattner for the final out.
 
GAME 2: CONCORDIA-ST. PAUL 4, MINNESOTA STATE 0
In game two, the Golden Bears recorded their second shutout of the season, scoring two runs in the fifth and two in the seventh to defeat MSU 4-0. This was the first time that CSP had shutout the Mavericks since 2010 when they won 5-0 in Rosemount.
 
ABOUT THE MAVERICKS
Minnesota State is 17-6 on the season, with a 6-4 record in the NSIC. The Mavericks have split with Minot State (N.D.) and UMary (N.D), they swept Winona State and Wayne State (Neb). And they were swept by #1 Augustana this past weekend. 

As a team, the Mavericks are hitting for a .330 average, which is fourth best in the NSIC. They have hit 15 home runs on the season. They have stolen 33 bases and are fielding for a .968 average for fifth best in the NSIC. Five of their players are hitting for a .300 average or better, and three are hitting over .400. They are led by senior Torey Richards who is hitting .447 which is ninth best in the NSIC, she also leads the team with 34 hits (4^th best in NSIC) and a .500 on base percentage.
 
Junior pitcher Mackenzie Ward is leading the Mavericks pitching staff with a 10-3 record and a 1.39 ERA with 136 strikeouts which both leads the NSIC in 80.2 innings of work. She is number one in the NSIC with a .171 opponent batting average. 

MINNESOTA DULUTH SERIES HISTORY 
This will be the 61^st and 62^nd matchup between these two teams. The Bulldogs currently hold a 35-25 record over the Golden Bears. 
 
LAST MEETING WITH MINNESOTA DULUTH
The Golden Bears and the Bulldogs squared off at the beginning of the season for a non-conference double header down in Mankato to open the 2021 season. 
 
GAME ONE: Concordia-St. Paul 9, Minnesota Duluth 4 
After a scoreless first inning, the Bulldogs struck first in the second inning when they put up one run after a double and a single, Kali Kaestner was able to produce a double play which allowed the Bulldog runner to score. Minnesota Duluth scored again in the top of the third to go up 2-0. 

After the Bulldogs scored two more runs in the top of the fifth inning to increase their lead to 4-0, CSP got the bats going and answered in a big way. After Hanna Mortenson walked and Emma Adamek walked, Meagan Bliesegrounded out to first, advancing Mortenson and Adamek. Clara Heislen singled through the left side to score Mortenson and advanced Adamek to third base. Kris McIntyre walked to load up the bases, what followed was a wild pitch, a walk to Grace Beseman, and a big two-run single by Amanda Parsons to tie the game 4-4. 
 
Kali Kaestner got the opening day nod for Concordia, she went five innings, allowing four runs, two earned, on eight hits and striking out three. She kept the Golden Bears in the game and handed the ball off to Bryanna Olson to finish out the game. 
 
The Golden Bear offense exploded in the sixth inning. After a four run fifth inning, CSP pushed five runs across the plate to take a 9-4 lead over the Bulldogs. Hanna Mortenson started it off again as she singled through the left side. She was lifted for a pinch runner in Alexus Houston and she advanced to second on a sac bunt by Taylor Griffin who reached first on the play. Emma Adamek drove in Houston on an RBI single, Meagan Bliese singled scoring Griffin and advancing Adamek to third. That was followed by Heislen being hit by a pitch and McIntyre reaching on a fielder's choice, she advanced to third on a wild pitch and Bliese scored on a throwing error to make it 9-4 Golden bears. 
 
GAME TWO: Concordia-St. Paul 0, Minnesota Duluth 3
Pitching dominated for the Bulldogs in game two of the doubleheader. Lauren Dixon pitched a complete game shutout victory over the Golden Bears. She allowed only six hits over seven innings, striking out nine Golden Bears while throwing 98 pitches. 
 
Senior Aryka Knoche made her first start in the circle for the Golden Bears. She went four innings, allowing three runs on six hits and striking out three Bulldogs. She also went 1-3 in the batting lineup for CSP.
 
Minnesota Duluth got on the board early when Lauren Oberle homered off of Knoche in the first inning. That was followed by an RBI double by Jessica Bren to make it 2-0 Bulldogs after one. UMD would produce one more run in the third inning when Emma Frost ripped an RBI double to right center, scoring Jessica Bren to make it 3-0 Minnesota Duluth. 
 
ABOUT THE BULLDOGS
Minnesota Duluth is currently 20-6 overall and 10-2 in conference play. The Bulldogs have swept UMary (N.D.) twice, Minot State (N.D.) twice, St. Cloud State, Wayne State (Neb). And Minnesota Crookston. They were swept by #1 Augustana and they have split with both Minnesota State and Concordia-St. Paul in non-conference doubleheaders.
 
As a team the Bulldogs are hitting .327 with a total of 34 home runs and an on-base percentage of .419. They are slugging .577 at a team and have stolen a combined 32 bases. Lauren Oberle is leading the team with a .459 batting average and is tied for the team lead with six home runs. She has scored 40 runs and leads the team with a .824 slugging percentage and a .592 on-base percentage. 
 
Sam Pederson is leading the Bulldog pitching staff with a 6-1 record and a 1.86 ERA. She has pitched 41.1 innings and has struck out 29 batters and is holding hitters to a .185 batting average. Lauren Dixon is 7-3 with a 2.19 ERA, pitching 70.1 innings and striking out 78 batters.
 
ST. CLOUD STATE SERIES HISTORY
The Golden Bears and Huskies will be meeting for the 44^th and 45^th time in program history. St. Cloud currently holds a slim 22-21 overall record over Concordia. They first played each other back in 2002 and St. Cloud State ran away with five straight victories. The Golden bears went through a stretch from 2007-2011 where they won 11 straight games over the Huskies. In their last 10 matchups the Huskies are 8-2 and currently hold a four-game winning streak over the Golden Bears. 
 
LAST MEETING WITH ST. CLOUD STATE
ST. CLOUD STATE 5, CONCORDIA-ST. PAUL 3
With the loss to Augustana, the Golden Bears moved to the elimination side of the bracket, next facing St. Cloud State. This was CSP's third meeting with the Huskies this season, with SCSU coming out on top 5-3.
 
The game went back-and-forth for much of the first few innings, but the Huskies scored two runs in the fifth, which the Bears were unable to answer which ended up being the difference in the game.
 
ABOUT THE HUSKIES
St. Cloud State is currently 16-6 with a 5-3 conference record. They were swept by Minnesota Duluth to open up their conference schedule. They split with #1 Augustana, swept Wayne State and Bemidji State and they will take on Minnesota State before playing the Golden Bears on Sunday.
 
As a team the Huskies are hitting .386 and have scored 165 runs while slugging .567 with an on-base percentage of .445 and they have stolen 53 bases. They are led by Langenberg Vanden who is hitting .507 which is second in the NSIC. She is slugging .754 with an on-base percentage of .557
 
Their pitching staff is led by Kylie Thomsen who is 6-2 with a 1.84 ERA. She has 43 strikeouts in 49.1 innings of work and is holding hitters to a .231 batting average. 
 
GOLDEN BEAR TEAM LEADERS
Grace Beseman continues to lead the Golden Bear offense. She is hitting .382 with 29 hits, 21 runs scored, leads the team with seven home runs and 23 RBI's with a .711 slugging percentage and a .420 on-base percentage and is 10-10 in stolen bases. 
 
Clara Heislen is hitting .338 with 20 runs scored, 26 hits, four home runs and 14 RBI's. She has a .545 slugging percentage and a .395 on-base percentage and a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage. Kris McIntyre is hitting .318 with 10 RBI's. Amanda Parsons is hitting .309 with five doubles, three home runs and 14 RBI's. She is slugging .544 with an on-base percentage of .365 with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage behind the dish. Aryka Knoche is hitting .299 with 15 RBI's and a .448 slugging percentage. 
 
Bryanna Olson is leading the team with 2.39 ERA with a 5-5 record, 59 strikeouts in 58.2 innings of work. She is holding opponents to a .231 batting average. Kali Kaestner has a 3.29 ERA with a 5-4 record, leads the team with five complete games, 42 strikeouts in 51 innings of work. Aryka Knoche is 3-1 with a 3.98 ERA, 29 strikeouts in 38.2 innings of work. 
 
Live stats and live stream will be available for all three doubleheaders. The links for each can be found on the team's schedule page.