ST. CLOUD, Minn. - The Concordia-St. Paul Softball team (19-20, 5-9 NSIC) continued their losing skid on Wednesday, falling in both games of their home double header against Winona State (28-9, 11-1 NSIC). The Warriors defeated CSP in a shootout in game one 18-14 which included 34 hits and seven home runs. The Golden Bears were no-hit in game two, as Winona State won 9-0 in six innings

With the wins, WSU moves into a tie for the top spot in conference standings. MSU Moorhead swept their doubleheader with UMary on Wednesday to share first place in the NSIC with the Warriors with an 11-1 record. The Golden Bears fall to 11th in the conference after the two losses and will look to rebound this weekend against Minnesota Crookston (13-22, 1-9 NSIC) and Bemidji State (14-16, 3-5 NSIC). 

GAME ONE: Winona State 18, Concordia 14
It was a slugfest in the first game on a beautiful Wednesday at Carlander field. The Warriors got on the board with two runs in the  first inning and the Golden Bears answered in the bottom of the inning with a three-run home run from Jacey Defries. 

WSU put up five in the second inning to take back the lead with a pair of two-run home runs and an RBI single. Concordia tied things up in their half of the seventh on a two-run single from Alexus Houston and RBI doubles from Defries and Sydney Pelzer. 

Kristi Pilz entered the game in the third inning to relieve CSP starter Erica McCullough. Winona State hit solo home runs in the third and fourth innings, but Concordia would reclaim the lead in the bottom of the fourth with four runs to make it 11-9. The lead would be short-lived as the Warriors took it back for good in the fifth inning, taking advantage of timely hitting and CSP errors to bring in three two-out runs.

After both teams went one-two-three in the sixth, Winona State blew things open in the final inning with five more runs, highlighted by Warriors third baseman Libby Neveau's second home run of the game. The Golden Bears brought the gap closer in the final half-inning with a three-run home run from Grace Beseman, but ended up taking the loss 18-14.

GAME TWO: Winona State 9, Concordia 0
The Warriors showed off why they are the eighth ranked defense in the nation and best in the conference in game two, shutting out the Golden Bears in six innings, and aiding WSU starting pitcher Abby Smith in picking up her first no-hitter. 

Winona State and Smith were dominant throughout the game, coming two walks away from a perfect game. Concordia starter Bryanna Olson was solid through the first five innings, giving up just two earned runs while striking out four. The only damage the Warriors made in the first half of the game came from first baseman Logan Anderson. In the second inning WSU put two on base due to errors and Anderson brought in both on a home run. The sophomore struck again in the third with an RBI single to make it 4-0.

The Warriors pushed the lead to nine in the sixth, bringing ten batters to the plate on the way to scoring six runs. Winona State loaded the bases and brought in the first run on a single before capping off the scoring with a grand slam from Libby Neveau, her third home run of the day.

Smith struck out the leadoff hitter Taylor Griffin in the bottom of sixth, but put a runner on base by hitting Rachel Novak. The defense picked her up and closed things out for Winona State, turning a Annalise Scamehorn ground ball into a 643 double play to end the game. 

UP NEXT
The Golden Bears will look to end their seven game losing streak this weekend with a pair of doubleheaders on the road in Northwest Minnesota. Minnesota Crookston is up first on Saturday before a Sunday contest against Bemidji State. Games on both days will be at noon and 2:00 p.m.