MANKATO, Minn. - The Concordia-St. Paul softball team (15-12, 1-1 NSIC) split their doubleheader with Minnesota State (12-8, 1-1 NSIC) on Tuesday, defeating the Mavericks in game one 8-4, before falling in game two 5-4. The game was originally slated as a home game in the cities for the Golden Bears, but moved to Mankato under the Maverick All Sports Dome due to weather and field conditions. 

GAME ONE: Concordia 8, Minnesota State 5
The Mavericks struck first in the top of the first, using a walk, triple and RBI groundout to put two on the board. Starting pitcher Bryanna Olson regrouped from the rough start to strike out the side in the top of the second. 

The Concordia bat's came to Olson's aid in the bottom of the inning, tying it up on a Danni Sharum two-run homer. A leadoff home run off the bat of Clara Heislen broke the tie in the third to give Concordia a 3-2 lead. 

Minnesota State briefly tied it back up again in the fifth with a two-out RBI double, but CSP would regain the lead in the bottom of the inning on a Jacey Defries single up the middle to score Heislen. 

After a one-two-three top of the sixth for Olson and the Concordia defense, the offense piled on four more runs in the bottom of the inning. Taylor Griffin got things started with an RBI single to extend the lead to two. Alexus Houston capped off the scoring for the Golden Bears, hitting a three-run shot to put CSP up 8-4.

The Mavericks battled to come back in the seventh, hitting a two-run home, but Olson was able to limit the damage and close things out to seal the Concordia victory.

Olson finished the day with her 10th complete game of the season, giving up five runs on eight hits while striking out eight and walking three. The junior now moves to 10-6 on the year. 

The Golden Bears matched MSU's hit total with eight and both teams were credited with a pair of errors. Danni Sharum finished the most hits for CSP, going 2-4 with a home run and two RBI.

GAME TWO: Minnesota State 5, Concordia 4
It was another back and forth game in the afternoon edition of the doubleheader with the Mavericks ending up on top of game two. Both teams upped their hit totals from game one with MSU out-hitting the Golden Bears 13-11. 

Concordia got on the board first with Grace Beseman scoring on an RBI single up the middle. Erica McCullough started game two in the circle for CSP and held Minnesota State scoreless over the first three innings. The Mavericks would strike in the fourth inning, putting two on base to set up MSU's catcher for a two-out, three-run home run to put them out in front 3-1. 

Singles in the bottom of the fourth from Annalise Scamehorn and Avery Johnson set the Golden Bears up with runners on base with one out. Taylor Griffin brought in Johnson on a first pitch RBI single. Clara Heislen followed it up with her second double of the game to score Griffin and pinch runner Tori Turgeon to put the Bears ahead 4-3. 

MSU tied it up in the fifth on a two-out double from their DP and shut down Concordia in the bottom of the inning.. Neither team scored in the sixth, sending them to the final inning deadlocked at four runs apiece. 

Back-to-back singles for Minnesota State to start the seventh ended the day for McCullough. Kristi Pilz came on in relief and gave up an RBI single to the first batter she faced, before retiring the next three to end the inning. The one MSU run would prove to be the game winner as Maverick ace McKayla Armbruster would come on in the ninth and pick up a strikeout with bases loaded to get the save and end the game. 

McCullough took the loss to bring her record to 4-3. The sophomore went six innings, giving up five runs on 12 hits while striking out two and walking none. Clara Heislen was the Golden Bears star at the plate in game two, going 3-4 with two doubles and two RBI.

UP NEXT
The CSP softball team will be back in action on Saturday against Augustana (14-8, 1-0 NSIC) in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The Bears will take on the Vikings in a doubleheader with games at noon and 2:00 p.m.