ST. PAUL, Minn. - On a cold, crisp and sunny Tuesday afternoon, Concordia-St. Paul (31-12-1, 14-10 NSIC) scored a crucial split in Northern Sun play, topping Upper Iowa (21-22, 12-11 NSIC) 11-6 in game one before falling 5-3 in game two in what is the final scheduled home games at Carlander Field this season.

The Peacocks snapped Concordia's six game winning streak in game two after CSP snapped Upper Iowa's four game winning streak in game one.

The doubleheader was pivotal, as CSP entered play 1.5 games ahead of Upper Iowa in the NSIC Standings as the teams jostle for positioning for the NSIC Tournament next week in Rochester. While the slim lead was key, an even bigger factor was Concordia sitting in the sixth spot with UIU seventh, with the 7-to-10 teams in the tournament entering in a play-in scenario in the double elimination format.

Concordia held its ground on Tuesday, keeping its 1.5 game lead over the Peacocks with four to play. CSP is scheduled to head to Minot State on Saturday and UMary on Sunday in North Dakota, where a significant amount of snow still remains and poor weather on the horizon both in North Dakota and in the Twin Cities. Upper Iowa's season will also conclude on the road, at MSU Moorhead on Saturday before a trip to Aberdeen, South Dakota on Sunday against Northern State.

Sophomore Grace Beseman had a big afternoon at the plate, going 3-6 with her sixth home run of the season, three runs and three RBIs in the doubleheader. Senior Amanda Parsons continued her strong hitting with a pair of 2-4 performances including her 16th double, two runs and an RBI.

The Golden Bears entered the day forced to deal with the NSIC's top hitter, UIU cleanup hitter Katie Crogan who entered the day with a .520/.591/.992 season slash line with 28 extra base hits, 15 home runs and 68 RBIs in 41 games.

The CSP pitching staff, including appearances by all three hurlers, held Crogan to 2-5 hitting with a double, two runs, one RBI and two walks across the doubleheader, which lowered her season average four points to .516.

GAME 1: CSP 11, UIU 6
The Golden Bears were forced to come from behind in the first game as the Peacocks broke a scoreless tie with a run in the third inning before taking a 4-0 lead with three runs in the fourth.

Sophomore starting pitcher Bryanna Olson was strong against the Peacocks, striking out seven through the first three innings and pitching out of a bases loaded jam in the fourth. She would go on to pick up the win with a complete game, striking out nine in 7.0 innings.

Concordia was able to match UIU's three runs in the bottom of the fourth off the bat of Avery Johnson, who followed Amanda Parsons' leadoff single and Sydney Pelzer's walk with a 3-run blast, her third of the year.

In the fifth, Grace Beseman provided the power with a leadoff home run to left on a full count offering followed by another base hit by Parsons. With one out, Jacey Defries muscled up and powered a 2-run homer deep to left center for back-to-back 3-run innings and a 6-4 lead, her second home run of the season.

In the top of the sixth, it was the defense that delivered as Clara Heislen connected with Pelzer who delivered a strike to Parsons at home to nail the tying run on a 2-out RBI double by the Peacocks, limiting UIU to one run in the inning and preserving the lead.

Concordia, who had just produced back-to-back 3-run innings with three home runs, was just getting started. After Beseman dropped down an RBI bunt with runners on first and third with no outs, Pelzer came up two batters later with the bases loaded and cleared the bases with a double to right center. Johnson added an RBI single for her fourth RBI of the day followed by a Defries RBI single deep to right center for a 6-run inning, claiming an 11-5 lead en route to the 11-6 win.

In game one, five Golden Bears had 2-hit performances and the team had four extra base hits: a double and three home runs.

Beseman was 2-3 with a home run, two runs, two RBIs and a walk, Pelzer was 1-3 with two runs three more RBIs and a walk, Johnson was 2-4 with a homer and four RBIs and Defries was 2-4 with three RBIs. CSP also picked up three stolen bases from its top three hitters in the order: Heislen (12), Houston (13) and Beseman (10).

GAME 2: UIU 5, CSP 3
In game two, Upper Iowa jumped on Concordia early, plating three runs in the top of the first inning before starting pitcher Kristi Pilz settled into a groove and took control in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th innings.

With Pilz keeping the Peacocks off the scoreboard through the fourth, the Golden Bears were unable to chip into the lead, leaving runners on first and third in the first inning and the bases loaded in the second.

That summed up Concordia's second-straight comeback bid as the Golden Bears left 10 runners on base in the game, including six in scoring position.

Upper Iowa added two more runs in the fifth inning, with Concordia answering as Alexus Houston slugged her eighth double of the year with one out, was driven in by a Grace Beseman single with Beseman scoring from first base on Amanda Parsons' RBI double as CSP put together three straight hits.

The Golden Bears added a 2-out rally in the sixth, started by Taylor Griffin who laced a single to left followed by a pinch hit walk by Emma Lero. Clara Heislen followed with an RBI single, scoring Griffin to cut the UIU lead to two, 5-3.

In the seventh, Parsons produced a 1-out single and Avery Johnson added a 2-out walk bringing the game-winning run to the plate, leaving two runners on in the final inning.

Parsons went 2-4 with her 16th double and Griffin went 2-3 with her fifth double, with Parsons adding an RBI and Griffin scoring a run. Beseman was 1-3 with a run, RBI and a walk.

Pilz was charged with her first loss of the season, falling to 6-1 while working 4.2 innings. Freshman lefty Erica McCullough provided 2.1 -near perfect innings of relief, striking out one with her only blemish a hit by pitch in the seventh which was erased by a double-play to end the inning.