MANKATO, Minn.- The Concordia-St. Paul softball team (4-1, 0-0 NSIC) defeated Missouri Western State (1-3) with a final score of 4-2 to conclude the 2022 Portolite & Field Turf MSU Invitational Softball Tournament. 

The Golden Bears dropped the first game of the tournament to Washburn before going on a four-game run, finishing 4-1.  

Missouri Western took an early 1-0 lead when Bubba Hoelscher singled to left field advancing Rachel Stewart home before Bryanna Olson struck out the remaining two batters to end the inning. 

Sophomore Grace Beseman continued her on-field success, scoring twice in the final game of the tournament. To give the Bears the lead in the third, she homered to left center, sending herself and Clara Heislen in. 

After the Griffons evened the score to two runs apiece in the fifth, Emma Lero singled through the left side before advancing to second. Her hit sent in Beseman to score her second run of the game and give the Bears a 3-2 lead. 

CSP was not done scoring in the frame. In her only at-bat in the game, pinch hitter Alexus Houston recorded a hit and an RBI after sending in Rachel Novak for a 4-2 lead and Novak's third run of the season. 

Bryanna Olson (W, 3-1) pitched all 7.0 innings. She allowed two runs, walking three batters, while recording six strikeouts against 32 batters. 

The Golden Bears will return to action in a few weeks when they head to Emporia, Kan. to compete in the ESU 5-State Classic the weekend of Feb. 18.