PITTSBURG, Kan. - The Concordia-St. Paul softball team (8-17) wrapped up the Teri Mathis-Zenner MIAA/NSIC Crossover with losses to Pittsburg State (21-7) on Sunday. CSP lost game one, 9-3, and lost game two, 9-1, in five innings. 

Alexis Monty led the Golden Bears with three hits including a double and a triple. She also added an RBI. Sydney Pelzer smacked a solo home run in the second game. The senior tallied two hits and two RBIs. 

Emmy Bowne and Tatum Dunlavy started the games on the mound. Both pitchers threw two strikeouts in each contest. 

The Golden Bears start conference play on Saturday, March 22 against Bemidji State (13-11). The doubleheader is scheduled for 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. at BSU Softball Field. CSP then plays Minnesota Crookston (12-15) on Sunday, March 23 at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. 

Game One
Monty started strong in the first at-bat of the day, hitting a triple into left-center field. Pelzer brought her in on a groundout to the shortstop, giving CSP an early 1-0 lead. 

Pittsburg State tied the game in the second inning on a pair of singles. The Gorillas used another pair of singles to load the bases, but CSP remained calm. Bowne was able to get the final out at home after a ball was hit to her to end the inning. 

With Monty up again in the third inning, she smacked a double to right field. This brought in freshman Ashlyn Peterson who reached after being hit by a pitch. The double reclaimed the lead for Concordia, 2-1. 

The lead didn't last long as PSU's Kadyn Trochim hit a solo homer to tie the game at 2-2. The Gorillas added another run later in the inning and a run in the fourth inning to lead 4-2. 

The wheels came off in the bottom of the sixth inning with Pittsburg State scoring five runs for the 9-2 lead. After Rachel Novak and Rylie Rasmussen walked in the seventh, Concordia got the final run of the game when Haley Knoblauch reached on a throwing error to bring Novak home. 

Pittsburg State outhit Concordia-St. Paul 16-4. Trochim led the Gorillas with two hits and four RBIs and Courtney Storey added three RBIs on a sac fly and double. PSU committed the only error of the game. 

Monty led CSP with two hits and an RBI. Pelzer and Rosenthal had the two other hits for the Golden Bears. Pelzer added an RBI. 

Bowne pitched the first three innings, picking up the loss. She allowed 10 hits and four earned runs. She struck out two batters and didn't walk a batter. Makayla Wigern entered in relief pitching three innings allowing six hits and five earned runs. 

Ava Laurent got the win for PSU marking her ninth of the season. She allowed four hits and two earned runs without a walk while tallying five strikeouts. Jadyn Standeford pitched the final innings giving up a run and two walks with a strikeout. 

Game Two
The Golden Bears once again scored the first run of the game as Pelzer hit a solo homer on the third at-bat. Pitt State answered immediately in the bottom of the inning, hitting a double and a single in its first two at-bats. 

The wheels once again came off in the third inning. Pittsburg State scored eight runs on four hits, four walks and an error. This gave the Gorillas the 9-1 advantage and won the game after CSP couldn't score in the fourth and fifth innings. 

Monty singled in the third inning for CSP's only other hit. Pittsburg State outhit Concordia 8-2. Alleyna Rushing led PSU with three hits and two RBIs. Heather Arnett and Lexi Davis each tallied doubles for the Gorillas. 

Dunlavy pitched four innings allowing eight earned runs and five walks. She tallied two strikeouts. Aydenne Brown got her ninth win for Pitt State pitching all five innings and throwing seven strikeouts. She did not walk a CSP batter.