TOPEKA, Kan. - The Concordia-St. Paul softball team (1-5) fell to the Missouri-St. Louis (1-1) Tritons on Saturday afternoon 10-2 in five innings on the campus of Washburn University before falling 5-4 to Northwest Misosuri State (3-3) later in the afternoon off campus at a city field in Topeka.

The Golden Bears continue to compete in the Emporia 5-State Classic with a pair of games in Topeka, starting at Lake Shawnee Field against Quincy (Ill.) at 10 a.m. before returning to Gahnstrom Field at #22 Washburn University at 2:30 p.m.

GAME 1: MISSOURI-ST. LOUIS 10, CSP 2 (5 innings)
Jenna Towle (1-0) picked up the win for UMSL while Kristi Pilz (0-2) took the loss for CSP, both in relief.

The Golden Bear bats were hot early in the first inning with CSP getting base hits from Alexus Houston and Grace Beseman to set up Sydney Pelzer for a two-RBI single down the right field line to jump out to a 2-0 lead. Concordia starter Erica McCullough got two early outs after a double play on a line-out to erase the Triton's leadoff single. UMSL rallied with two singles and loaded the bases with a walk, but were unable to score as McCullough closed out the inning with a strikeout. 

Both teams had chances to score in the second inning but McCullough and Missouri-St. Louis pitcher Mimi Bradley were able to work out of it without allowing runners to cross the plate. Taylor Griffin was tagged out stealing home to end the Bears scoring threat and the Tritons would leave the bases loaded once again as a two-out fly ball to right field was corralled by Houston to end the inning. 

The Bears had a quiet top half of the third inning with just Danni Sharum getting on base on a hit by pitch. UMSL put runners in scoring position early with a leadoff single and a double from DP Courtney Settles. McCullough set down the next three batters including her second strikeout for the third out. 

Concordia forced Bradley out of the game in the fourth inning after two hard hit outs to center field, a single and a walk, but relief pitcher Jenna Towle forced a flyout from Houston to keep the Bears off the board. The Tritons also forced a pitching change and tied up the game in the bottom of the fourth. Missouri-St. Louis loaded the bases with batters reaching on an error, walk, and single with one out and finally pushed a run across the board on a single from shortstop Irene Travis. Kristi Pilz came in for the final two outs, allowing a sacrifice fly to bring in the tying run for UMSL, before drawing a ground ball out to end the fourth inning.

McCullough finished with three and a third innings pitched, giving up no earned runs on seven hits, while striking out three with three walks.

Things went south for the Golden Bears in the fifth inning. After a scoreless top half, UMSL exploded for eight runs to close out the game in five innings. The Tritons opened the fifth with three straight hits to break the tie and go ahead 3-2. UMSL advanced the runners over on a sacrifice bunt and Concordia elected to load the bases with an intentional walk. A lineout from the next batter got the Bears their second out, but it would be their last. Missouri-St. Louise would rattle off four more hits, culminating in a two-run home run by Triton catcher Riley Schultz to put them up eight runs to end the game. 

CSP was out-hit by UMSL 14-5 and the Tritons kept their box clear with no errors while Concordia finished with two. 

GAME 2: NW MISSOURI STATE 5, CSP 4
In game two, it was Concordia who rallied late, looking to put the game away in the closing innings as the Golden Bears rallied from a 5-1 deficit by plucking a 3-run sixth inning from the Bearcats, powered by a 3-run homer by Danni Sharum.

But Concordia wasn't able to repeat the damage in the seventh, stranding a 1-out walk by Avery Johnson, leaving the go-ahead run at the plate in a narrow 1-run loss, Concordia's third loss of the year by two runs or less as the squad remains within striking distance of a winning record.

While Concordia scored last against the Bearcats, it also scored first, pushing the game's first run across in the top of the second inning on an RBI single the other way to left field by Annalise Scamehorn, although CSP left runners on second and third base with one out.

The lead was short-lived, though, as NWMSU delivered a two-out solo home run followed by a walk and a two-run homer for a 3-1 lead.

Concordia starting pitcher Bryanna Olson held the Bearcats scoreless in the third and fourth innings, working around a stray single in each inning.

Aside from the second and sixth innings, Concordia's offense continued to stall, going down in order in the first, third and fourth and getting just a 2-out single in the fifth and a 1-out walk in the seventh.

NWMSU scored two more in the fifth, coming courtesy of a fielding error with runners on second and third and one out, with the two insurance runs proving the difference.

Olson went the distance in the loss, striking out four while allowing five runs (four earned) on six hits. Hayden Simmons secured the win for NWMSU, allowing a pair of unearned runs while allowing two hits and a walk in five innings with eight strikeouts.