MANKATO, Minn. – The Concordia Golden Bears baseball team (12-20, 8-18 NSIC) saw their comeback bid fall just short in a 4-3 game one loss before dropping game two 7-1 at #13 Minnesota State (27-6, 23-5 NSIC) on Sunday.
 
GAME ONE: #13 Minnesota State 4, Concordia-St. Paul 3
Concordia jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the game's opening frame before Minnesota State responded with a run in the second and two in the third to take the lead for good. The Golden Bears showed their resilience as they tacked on a home run in the fifth before putting the go-ahead run on base in both the sixth and seventh innings, but the MSU managed to cling to their lead as they took game one of the series.
 
Nick Thimsen provided a major spark for the CSP offense as he scored all three of the team's runs while picking up his third three-hit game of the season. The Golden Bear right fielder launched his fifth home run of the season as he finished the contest 3-4 at the plate.
 
Jarod Wandersee added a multi-hit performance of his own with a 2-4 effort while Ryan Christopher, Matt Pietsch and Patrick Bordewick added a hit apiece.
 
Luke DeGrammont (1-6) limited the powerful Minnesota State lineup to five hits and three runs over 4.2 innings as the left-hander struck out six in the loss.
 
Jon Ludwig (7-1) grabbed the win for the Mavericks as he worked the first 5.0 innings, allowing four hits and two runs (one earned) while striking out seven. Hunter Even walked the tightrope to pick up the save as he allowed a run on three hits in 1.2 innings.
 
The Golden Bears opened the scoring in the top of the first as Thimsen got things started with a single before an MSU error put runners on the corners with nobody out. Thimsen came around to score on a groundball double play one batter later as CSP grabbed a 1-0 advantage.
 
That lead held until the bottom of the second when Jack Waletich delivered a two-out RBI double for the Mavericks to tie the game. MSU took the lead one inning later as Schneider launched a two-run home run to make it 3-1 in favor of the hosts.
 
An inning and a half later, Thimsen cut the deficit in half in the fifth as he came through with a two-out solo homer over the left field wall to put CSP within striking distance at 3-2.
 
Concordia continued to try to claw their way back in the game as a Pietsch single, a Bordewick walk and a Bastyr walk loaded the bases in the top of the sixth, but Even slammed the door with back-to-back strikeouts to keep Minnesota State in front.
 
After the Mavericks added an insurance run with another Waletich double in the bottom of the inning, the Golden Bears went right back to work in the top of the seventh. Thimsen once again got the rally started with his third hit of the game before a Christopher single put runners on first and third with one out as the go-ahead run came to the plate. A Jack Young RBI groundout pulled Concordia back within a run at 4-3 before Bordewick put the tying run in scoring position with a single to right. A pop fly down the right field line nearly dropped in for Wandersee, but MSU right fielder Joey Werner was able to track it down to secure the 4-3 victory for the Mavericks.
 
GAME TWO: #13 Minnesota State 7, Concordia-St. Paul 1
In game two, the Mavericks scored in five of the first six innings of the contest as they pulled away to claim the doubleheader sweep.
 
MSU starter Collin Denk (7-0) held the Golden Bears to one runs on three hits with no walks while striking out eight in 6.0 innings to pick up the win. Nathan Culley picked up where Denk left off with 3.0 perfect innings, including seven strikeouts, to pick up the save.
 
One of CSP's three hits was Nick Thimsen's second home run of the day as he pulled even with Jarod Wandersee for the team lead with six round trippers on the year. Ryan Christopher and Ryan Bastyr added singles to round out the offense.
 
Griffin Lapp (2-3) took the loss as he allowed a pair of earned runs over 3.0 innings in the start. Matt Sherman, Connor Hurley and Wyatt Rudolf combined to work the final 5.0 innings, including a shutout frame with three strikeouts from Rudolf.
 
RBI singles from Nick Altermatt in the first and Joey Werner in the second followed by an Altermatt solo homer in the third gave Minnesota State the early 3-0 advantage.
 
Thimsen got the Golden Bears on the board with a solo shot in the fourth to cut it to 3-1, but MSU responded with three in the fifth and another in the sixth to extend the lead to 7-1. It was Werner that delivered the big hit in the fifth with a two-run single and Hunter Ranweiler provided the additional insurance with a pinch-hit run-scoring single in the sixth.
 
That proved to be all the scoring as Minnesota State maintained their 7-1 advantage to cruise to a win.
 
The two teams will wrap up the series tomorrow with a single nine-inning game set to begin at noon.