SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - For the second time this season, Concordia-St. Paul baseball (12-14, 8-8 NSIC) came back from an 0-2 series hole by producing a day two doubleheader sweep to even a 4-game series. Today, it was a pair of 1-run wins, 4-3 and 5-4 (10) over Minnesota Crookston (11-15, 8-8 NSIC) at Sanford Sports Complex. 

The Golden Bears will now have seven off days, weather permitting, until a 4-game series at Barnes Field next Saturday, April 5 and Sunday, April 6 against second-place Southwest Minnesota State (16-7, 11-5 NSIC). CSP is in a 5-team tie for sixth place in the NSIC standings, a game out of fifth and two games out of fourth, while SMSU is tied with Augustana, and sits a game ahead of fourth and two games ahead of fifth place on the league ledger.

Concordia's starting pitchers each recorded nine strikeouts today, with Ian Segna spreading his nine over six innings, issuing just one walk to his 24 batters faced while Fritz Meyer had nine of his 13 outs recorded for strikeouts and didn't allow any runs in 4.1 innings while striking out 45 percent of opponents. 

In each game, Jack Greenlun was called upon for the save, working a shutout seventh in game one and a shutout 10th in game two, picking up his second and third saves of the season. 

After leaving double-digit baserunners on in game two yesterday, CSP left just six runners aboard on Friday, with the improved execution leading to the 1-run victories. CSP is now 3-4 in 1-run games and 1-2 in extra inning affairs. 

Concordia also scored first in both games today, and is now 11-3 when scoring first. CSP also carried the lead into the late innings of each game, improving to 12-2 when leading after six innings. 

GAME 1: CSP 4, UMC 3
The Golden Bears cruised behind game three starting pitcher Ian Segna, who faced the minimum through two innings as he struck out the side swinging in the second and had four strikeouts through two. 

Concordia gave him early support by manufacturing a run in the second inning as Eric Berg singled to advance Trett Joles, who reached on error to lead off the inning, to second base with no outs. The pair moved into scoring position when Will Husemann executed a sacrifice bunt, with Joles scoring on an RBI groundout to the right side by Charlie Harms. 

The Golden Eagles answered by manufacturing a run of their own in the bottom of the third, getting a 1-out single, using a sacrifice bunt and a 2-out single to break through off Segna, who responded by getting a strikeout to end the inning, his sixth of the game.

Segna struck out two more in a 1-2-3 fourth inning and the Golden Bears responded by giving him the lead back in the top of the fifth as Kaden Johnson led off with a walk, took second and third on wild pitches, and scored on a throwing error by the catcher. 

Segna once again faced the minimum in the bottom of the fifth, and CSP's offense once again responded for him in kind as Joles led off with a double with Berg following by reaching on error. The duo moved up on a wild pitch and scored as Husemann once again executed, this time produced a 2-run single through the right side for a 4-1 lead. 

The insurance runs were big, as UMC was able to plate a pair off Segna in the bottom of the sixth, but in a sign of a truly strong performance, one of the runs came in on a double-play groundout to limit the rally.

Segna's final out was fittingly a strikeout, winning a 7-pitch at bat with a called third strike for his ninth strikeout. 

Segna worked 6.0 innings, allowing three runs on six hits while striking out nine and walking just one on 91 pitches. Only one of the six hits went for extra bases, a double in the sixth inning. He's now worked 5-plus innings in all five of his starts and the nine strikeouts matches his season-high.

He picked up the win and has secured a victory in back-to-back starts and has won three of his last four starts and picked up wins in his last three decisions. 

In the top of the seventh, CSP wasn't able to push across a run in a favorable situation for the first time in the game, as Koby McBroome led off with a double, was sacrificed to third by Kal Brohmer, and with two outs Noah Juliar walked and stole second, but the pair were left in scoring position to give the bullpen a 1-run lead with three outs to play.

Concordia turned to Jack Greenlun for the bottom of the seventh, and UMC promptly led off with a single, sacrifice bunt and a walk to put runners on first and second with one out. But back-to-back fielder's choice groundouts resulted in the lead runner being forced out, the first on a comebacker to Greenlun and the second on a groundout to Husemann at third. 

The Golden Bears picked up the win despite the top of CSP's lineup combining for a rare 0-9 collective performance with one walk. Trett Joles went 1-3 with a double, a walk and a pair of runs out of the cleanup spot, and Husemann was 1-2 with two RBIs and a key sacrifice bunt. 

Although Kaden Johnson was hitless, going 0-2, he also walked and used his speed to score out of the eighth spot. 

Kyle Odenbach took the loss for UMC, falling to 1-4 as he allowed three runs but only one earned in 5.1 innings with CSP collecting just two hits off him, but the Golden Bears walked three times and took advantage of his three wild pitches. 

GAME 2: CSP 5, UMC 4 (10 innings)
The Golden Bears put up a crooked number early in game two, using a 3-run second inning to grab the first lead. 

It started with a Trett Joles walk and Eric Berg single, as the duo continued to get on base consecutively in the doubleheader. Will Husemann once again provided a productive out, as Joles moved to third on his flyout to right, and scored on Charlie Harms' RBI single through the right side. 

Kaden Johnson followed with an RBI single to left and after Koby McBroome walked to load the bases with one out, Kal Brohmer came through with a sacrifice fly to center for the 3-0 lead. 

The momentum was huge, as Fritz Meyer picked up where Ian Segna left off, striking out the first two batters he faced in a 1-2-3 first inning. After striking out the first two batters of the second inning, Meyer walked a pair and they advanced to second and third on a groundout, and after a walk to load the bases, Meyer induced a groundout to strand the bases loaded to preserve his newfound 3-0 lead. 

He struck out the side in order in the third inning, and struck out the side to work around a leadoff and 1-out single in the fourth inning.

Concordia added to his lead in the fifth as McBroome opened with a walk and moved to second on Brohmer's sacrifice while getting to third on McCollow's groundout to short. Juliar followed with an RBI single to left center for the 4-0 lead. 

Meyer would exit with one out in the fifth after a walk and infield single put a pair of runners on. Left handed reliever Reece Piontek came through by getting back-to-back flyouts to strand runners on second and third. 

Concordia left runners on second and third in the sixth as Joles and Berg once again opened the inning by getting on base, a Joles single and a Berg walk, with Husemann once again executing by laying down a sacrifice bunt. 

UMC rallied for three unearned runs off Piontek in the bottom of the sixth, with Christian Lindow coming on in relief with two outs and a runner on first base, getting a strikeout to preserve a 4-3 lead with the tying run in scoring position after a stolen base. 

Concordia's bats went quiet in the late innings, managing a 2-out walk in the seventh before being retired in order in the eighth and ninth. 

Lindow would keep UMC at bay, though, using a 7-pitch 1-2-3 seventh inning and working around a leadoff walk in the eighth in a 10-pitch eighth. 

In the ninth, UMC manufactured a run off Lindow to tie the game, drawing an HBP with one out before a sacrifice bunt put the tying run in scoring position with two outs and a 2-out RBI single tied the game, sending it to extra innings. 

In the 10th, Brohmer led off with a double to the opposite field gap in left center and scored on McCollow's RBI single through the right side as both hitters used the opposite field to take the lead. 

In the 10th, Lindow handed the lead to Greenlun, who worked around a 2-base error to start the inning by getting a strikeout, a groundout to put the tying run at third base, a two-out walk to put runners on the corners before a game-ending groundout to Husemann at third base. 

In game two, CSP had seven hits by seven different players and drew five walks while adding two sacrifice bunts and a sacrifice fly. 

The top of the lineup came through as each of the first five hitters had a hit and combined to draw three walks. The bottom half of the lineup was also productive, as seventh hitter Charlie Harms was 1-4 wiht a run and an RBI, eighth batter Kaden Johnson was 1-4 with an RBI and ninth batter Koby McBroome was 0-2 with a pair of walks and a run scored. 

The only hitter who didn't reach base in the lineup, Husemann, once again executed in big spots as one of his flyouts advanced a runner and he added a sacrifice bunt to move two runners into scoring position. 

Meyer, who was fantastic in the start, struck out nine in 4.1 shutout innings, scattering three hits and four walks. His four non-strikeout outs were groundouts to keep UMC off the scoreboard.

Piontek worked the middle innings and didn't get charged an earned run in 1.1 innings, allowing two hits to eight batters faced. 

Lindow would pick up the win, improving to 2-0 as he pitched 3.1 innings, allowing a run on one hit with one walk and one strikeout against 13 batters. 

Greenlun worked the scoreless 10th for his third save of the year and second of the day. 

In five starts, Meyer has pitched 4.0-plus innings four times and the nine strikeouts is a season-high. He's struck out five or more in a game three times and has a streak of 11 scoreless innings dating back to the final two outs of the fourth inning against UMary on March 13.

SERIES NOTES

• Concordia's bullpen allowed four earned runs in 10.2 innings for a 3.37 ERA
• The starting rotation racked up 27 strikeouts in 20.33 innings, a rate of 12.0 per 9-innings
• The Golden Bears secured a split in the series despite hitting .211/.300/.272 (24-114) and scoring 11 runs in four games
• The team executed five sacrifice bunts, a sacrifice fly and drew 14 walks
• Freshman Eric Berg led CSP's lineup by producing a .385/.429/.615 (5-13) line, three runs, a home run and two RBIs
• Catcher Trett Joles slashed .250/.400/.417 (3-12) with two doubles, two walks, an HBP and three runs