MINNETONKA, Minn. - Concordia-St. Paul (6-9, 2-4 NSIC) dropped a pair of conference games on Thursday afternoon to the University of Mary (6-9, 2-4 NSIC) at Veterans Field on the campus of Minnetonka High School. UMary topped Concordia 4-1 in the first game before an 8-0 decision in game two.

The two teams will complete their 4-game series on Friday with a noon doubleheader at Veterans Field.

Concordia's bullpen was a highlight on Thursday, combining to allow three earned runs across eight innings, issuing just four hits with eight strikeouts. 

GAME 1: UMary 4, CSP 1
The Marauders were able to manufacture their four runs on four RBI singles, one in the second, one in the third and two in the fourth to build their 4-0 lead heading into the bottom of the fourth. 

Meanwhile, the Golden Bears put a runner on base in each of the first three innings but couldn't get anything going until the fourth, with Will Husemann reaching on a hit by pitch to start the inning. He was retired on a fielder's choice, with Trett Joles replacing him on first. With two outs, Eric Berg delivered a two-out RBI double to left center, scoring Joles to put CSP on the board. 

Game one starting pitcher Fritz Meyer gave way to the bullpen after four innings, allowing four runs on seven hits, striking out three and only issuing one walk among the 20 batters he faced. 

Concordia continued to pepper the basepaths, putting a runner on in the fifth before a pair of 1-out singles in the sixth by Joles and Kal Brohmer, who advanced to second and third on a ground out, but were stranded in scoring position. 

Concordia's bullpen kept the Golden Bears close, with lefty reliever Liam Bystol tossing a pair of no-hit innings, striking out and walking two of the eight batters he faced. Cooper Mollet worked a 1-2-3 seventh with a pair of strikeouts. 

In the bottom of the seventh, Koby McBroome and Bennett McCollow drew 1-out walks, but were left aboard to finish the game. 

The Golden Bears left nine on base in the game compared to UMary's five, and were 0-6 in RBI opportunities, 2-15 with runners on base and 1-8 with two outs. 

CSP's top of the lineup, McBroome and McCollow, combined to get on base five times in eight trips to the plate. McBroome was 0-2 with a pair of walks and McCollow was 1-2 with a pair of walks. Berg, who went 1-2 with the RBI double and a walk, now has six doubles on the season, tying for the team lead. 

Aiden Johnson improved to 2-1 with the win for UMary, striking out six and scattering four hits and three walks in six innings with Sam Hayen picking up his second save. 

Noah Hull went 2-4 with an RBI and Cru Walker went 2-3 with an RBI to pace the Marauder lineup. 

GAME 2: UMary 8, CSP 0
Things started promising for the Golden Bears in game two, as starting pitcher Korey Dahlberg retired the Marauders in order. Koby McBroome led things off with a single to right field, but would be nabbed stealing to end the threat. 

In the second, Isaac Pegors hit his third homer of the season, a solo shot to right to give UMary the early lead. 

Concordia once again picked up a leadoff single, this time off the bat of Will Husemann, and he would successfully swipe second base to get into scoring position with one out, but CSP wouldn't capitalize. 

UMary scored three in the third on a pair of RBI singles and a steal of home to extend the lead to 4-0.

CSP's bats then went cold, going down in order in the third and fourth innings, reaching with a two-out Marauder error in the fifth, and going down in order in the sixth. 

In the meantime, UMary tacked on three more in the fifth and an unearned run in the sixth. 

Noah Juliar broke the cold spell Concordia's third leadoff hit of the contest, and moved to second on a groundout, but CSP would leave him in scoring position in the seventh inning, and he would be the team's last baserunner as UMary retired the final nine batters of the game. 

Like Meyer in game one, Dahlberg would allow four runs in four innings to take the loss. He struck out four and didn't issue a walk while allowing five hits. The two starting pitchers carried a 7-1 strikeout-walk ratio for the club. 

Leo Bustos worked the sixth and seventh innings, allowing an unearned run on two hits and two walks before Sam Cooper and Caden Carsen worked scoreless eighth and ninth innings, with Carsen getting a 1-2-3 ninth with two strikeouts. 

The Golden Bears ran into a strong pitching performance from Ryan Chamberlain who improved to 1-3 with the 9-inning shutout, scattering three leadoff singles, striking out 10 and not walking a batter. 

Marcus Butts went 3-3 with a pair of doubles and a pair of RBIs and Kieran Gaffney went 1-2 with two walks and two RBIs for UMary.