WAYNE, Neb. – Concordia-St. Paul baseball (15-19, 11-13 NSIC) dropped a pair of tight games on Saturday afternoon at Wayne State (19-14, 15-9 NSIC), falling 9-8 and 6-3 at Pete Chapman Complex.
 
The Golden Bears and Wildcats will complete the 3-game series with a noon start on Sunday.
 
Bennett McCollow had a hot bat on Saturday with a pair of 2-hit games, going 4-7 with a double. Charlie Harms had a big first game, going 2-4 with a 3-run triple and Kaden Johnson went 2-7 with three RBIs in the doubleheader with a hit in each game, stealing a base in game one and hitting a 2-run home run to complete the combo meal in game two. Koby McBroome was also 2-7 on the day with a hit in each game, driving in a pair and scoring a run in game one and adding a double in game two.
 
GAME 1: WSC 9, CSP 8
The Golden Bear lineup chased Wayne State's number one starter from the game in the fourth inning, putting eight runs on him.
 
After spotting WSC three runs in the first inning, CSP reclaimed the lead in the second with a 2-run single by Koby McBroome, RBI single by Kal Brohmer and RBI infield single by Noah Juliar.
 
The 4-3 lead was short-lived, though, as WSC put two runs across in the bottom of the inning.
 
The lead continued to change hands as Kaden Johnson delivered an RBI single in the third to tie the game at 5-5.
 
In the fourth, Charlie Harms stayed hot, hitting a bases-clearing triple to right center for an 8-5 lead.
 
The Wildcats would strike back in the fifth with a 3-run homer to tie the game, and take the lead later in the inning on an RBI single.
 
The bullpens took it from there, with Concordia reliever Cooper Mollet working 1.0 scoreless with a strikeout in the sixth, while the WSC bullpen was led by Josh Kilzer for 3.0 shutout innings with four strikeouts, allowing just one hit in the high-scoring affair for the win with Braden Cannon securing his sixth save for WSC.
 
Concordia senior Korey Dahlberg was charged with the loss, working 5.0 frames with three of the runs scored against him being unearned.
 
Harms went 2-4 with a run, three RBIs and a triple, and McBroome was 1-3 with a run and two RBIs. Bennett McCollow went 2-3 with a double and a run, and Eric Berg went 1-3 with two runs scored. Johnson swiped his team-leading 10^th base of the year in as many attempts.
 
GAME 2: WSC 6, CSP 3
Game two followed a similar track as the first game, but with less offense. Wayne State opened with the lead, getting a 2-run home run from Braeden Cannon.
 
Concordia responded by stealing the lead back, picking up a run in the third inning with Noah Juliar beating out a hustle infield single with the errant throw allowing Kal Brohmer to score from second base and Koby McBroome to reach third.
 
In the fourth, Kaden Johnson put Concordia ahead with a 2-run homer to left field for a 3-2 lead.

Cannon responded with a game-tying homer in the bottom of the fourth with Casey Prychak following with a go-ahead homer.
 
The Wildcats then carried the 1-run advantage into the later innings, padding the lead with a pair of RBI hits in the seventh for a 6-3 edge.
 
Cannon, who saved the first game and had a pair of homers in the second game, would once again finish the contest by recording the last two outs in a solid showing by the two-way player.
 
The home run by Johnson was his second of the year, giving him 10 extra-base hits and 10 stolen bases on the season. McCollow went 2-4 and has hit safely in three-straight to break a string of 5-straight without a hit as the senior is now 5-11 in the last three games with a pair of doubles.
 
Senior starting pitcher Gavin Rusch took the loss for CSP, working his way into the fifth inning, leaving with two on and no outs and only two runs scored against him. The two runners would come across, as he finished the day with 4.0-plus innings, allowing four runs on nine hits with four strikeouts.

Liam Bystol worked 2.2 quality innings in relief, allowing two runs on two hits, striking out three against no walks. Fritz Meyer recorded a strikeout for his only out to finish the seventh inning, and Christian Lindow worked a 1-2-3 eighth inning with a strikeout.