WAYNE, Neb.- The Concordia-St. Paul softball team (7-1) went 2-0 on Sunday to complete their sweep in the ESU Tri-Quad tournament in three wins. The Bears defeated Newman (2-4) in the bottom of the seventh 5-4 and won over Truman State (1-2) in a shutout 3-0.
GAME ONE: Concordia-St. Paul 5, Newman (Kan.) 4
The Golden Bears topped the Jets despite a run-heavy fifth inning for the Kansas-based team after the Bears scored three in the fifth and one in the seventh to seal the deal.
The Bears had five runners score in the contest, including the team run-leader Grace Beseman who earned her seventh of the season as well as Alexus Houston, Taylor Griffin, Sydney Pelzer, and Rachel Novak.
In three at-bats, Clara Heislen led with two hits and two RBIs. She is tied with Amanda Parsons for the team's lead with six RBIs through seven games.
Beseman and Houston had near identical performances at the plate. In three appearances, each Bear had one hit and one run, with the only difference being Beseman recording an RBI.
Two pitchers shared the mound for CSP. Erica McCullough started and pitched for 4.2 innings, allowing six hits, four runs, and four errors while recording four strikeouts. Kristi Pilz (1-0) pitched relief for McCullough through 1.2 innings. Pilz allowed no hits, no runs, and only walked one batter while recording her first win of the season.
Beseman's hit was a solo home run in the fourth inning, hammered to left field. The run was the first of the day for either team.
A burst of runs in the fifth gave the Jets a 4-1 lead before the Bears were given an opportunity to respond. With two on, Pelzer doubled to left center, advancing Griffin to third and sending Houston in. The RBI was Pelzer's fifth of the season and her only of the game.
With two runners in scoring position, Annalise Scamehorn earned her second RBI of the season by singling to right field, advancing Griffin home. Up next was Heislen who singled to right field, batting in Pelzer to even the score, 4-4.
Heislen would earn her second RBI of the game when it mattered most. In the bottom of the seventh and the score tied, she doubled to right field, advancing Novak home to win the game for Concordia, 5-4. The fourth run of the season for Novak proved to be the game winner.
GAME TWO: Concordia-St. Paul 3, Truman State 0
The Golden Bears held Truman State to no runs in seven innings.
Pitcher Bryanna Olson served on the mound for all 7.0 innings, allowing six hits and four batters walked, recording three strikeouts and improving to 5-1 on the season. The shutout was her second of the season in only eight games.
The Bears had 27 at-bats and managed seven hits, five walks, three runs, and three RBIs. Parsons and Jacey Defries each recorded a double and Heislen and Halle Bemmels each stole a base.
Parsons hit her second double of the season in the third frame to left center. The hit advanced Avery Johnson to third, who was then out at home 7-6-2, and gave Heislen her second run of the day and only one of the game, 1-0.
The contest remained a one-run lead for Concordia after scoreless fourth and fifth innings.
At the top of the sixth, it was Pelzer at the plate who helped to solidify a Bears victory. In her one hit of the game, the freshman singled up the middle and advanced both Griffin and Novak. Pelzer has recorded two two-RBI games in the 2022 season.
Griffin earned both her first and second runs of the season during Sunday's competitions.
The Golden Bears will travel to Florida in a few weeks to compete in the Spring Games where they will face ten teams in five days the week of March 6.
