ROCHESTER, Minn. - The Concordia-St. Paul softball team (29-27, 14-16 NSIC)  kept their NSIC Tournament run alive in dominant fashion Thursday morning, defeating No. 10 Bemidji State (24-27, 12-14 NSIC) 11-3 in five innings at RYFSA Complex.

Concordia continues their tournament run at 2:00 p.m. against the loser of the noon game between No. 2 Minnesota Duluth and No. 3 Winona State.

The Golden Bears took the lead two pitches into the bottom of the first with Alexus Houston hitting her sixth home run of the season to put CSP up 1-0. After a scoreless second inning, the Beavers responded with an RBI double from right fielder Molly Houts to tie it up.

Clara Heislen doubled to leadoff the third and scored on a Grace Beseman single with Beseman reaching third on an error from Houts in right field. Jacey Defries put one up the middle to bring in Beseman and prompted Bemidji to go to their bullpen for starter Kyla Damerow. Sydney Pelzer welcomed BSU reliever Stella Dolan with a double to the fence to put two in scoring position for the Bears. Avery Johnson grounded out to score Defries and Annalise Scamehorn singled in Pelzer to cap off the four run inning for Concordia.

After a one-two-three fourth inning, the Beavers were able to break through with four hits and two runs in the fifth, highlighted by a two-run double from center fielder Eliana Christianson. Erica McCullough entered the game in relief of CSP starter Bryanna Olson after the double, and picked up the final two-outs of the inning. Olson (18-16), finished with 4.1 innings pitched allowing three runs on seven hits with two strikeouts and a walk.

The Golden Bears closed things out with a dominant bottom half of the fifth with six runs to get the run rule win. Defries led off and continued her perfect day at the plate (3-3) with a double down the left field line. Pelzer singled to put runners on first and third and Johnson got the first RBI of the inning on a single to right. Scamehorn came up next and laid down a great bunt to move Pelzer and Defries into scoring position. CSP catcher Danni Sharum got in on the action with her first hit of the day to drive in Pelzer. Rachel Novak entered as a pinch runner for Sharum and scored from first on a Taylor Griffin two-RBI single to left field.

Down 9-3 with one out, the Beavers brought Damerow back out to pitch. Clara Heislen singled, advancing Griffin to third, and stole second to put the game-ending run in scoring position. After a line out, Beseman singled back up the middle to drive in her team leading fifth and sixth RBIs of the tournament. The runs put the Golden Bears up by eight to give them the 11-3 victory.