ST. JOSPEH, Mo. – The Concordia-St. Paul baseball team opened the 2026 campaign with a road doubleheader at Missouri Western State on Friday afternoon, splitting with the Griffons via a 6-5 win in game one and a 7-0 loss in game two.  

The Golden Bears will resume the four-game series with the Griffons on Saturday with a single game at 3 p.m., followed by another single game on Sunday, with first pitch set for 2 p.m.

GAME ONE: CSP 6, MWSU 5
Junior Kaden Johnson, who finished the game just a single short of hitting for the cycle, got the scoring started immediately as CSP's leadoff hitter, launching a homer to left field in the game's first at bat. Following a bases-loaded hit by pitch that got the Griffons on the board and tied the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the first, freshman Gus Berger restored Concordia's lead with his first collegiate hit, a double to right field, that scored a pair of runs to make it 3-1 in the second inning.

The Griffons went on to add one run each in the third and seventh innings, sending the game to the eighth tied up at 3-3. Johnson came through for the Golden Bears once again in the top of the eighth, lining a triple to deep right field to score both Eli Nelson and Sam Cooper and give Concordia a 5-3 lead for what proved to be the final time. In the very next plate appearance, Berger gave Concordia an insurance run with a sacrifice fly that brought Johnson home to make it 6-3.

A two-run blast by the Griffons with two outs in the bottom of the ninth cut Concordia's lead to a single run, but junior relief pitcher Justin Benjamin, making his first appearance as a Golden Bear, pulled off the save as he recorded the game's final out to seal the victory. Cole Newell, another junior transfer for Concordia, was awarded the win, pitching two and a third innings and allowing two hits and two runs.

Starting pitcher Sam Kennedy, a sophomore transfer from the University of Minnesota by way of South Mountain Community College, was effective in his first appearance on the bump for Concordia, tossing four innings and fanning three batters while allowing three hits and two earned runs.

In total, the Griffons finished with nine hits in the first game, while CSP managed six hits, though Concordia had four extra-base hits to MWSU's three. The Golden Bears stranded 11 runners throughout the contest, while the Griffons left seven aboard.

GAME TWO: MWSU 7, CSP 0
Offense proved tough to come by for Concordia in the second game of the afternoon, as the Golden Bears managed a single hit while drawing just two walks. Sophomore Jack Setterlund recorded CSP's lone hit with a double in the third inning. By contrast, the Griffons managed 11 hits in the game, including three doubles.

Missouri Western State scored one run each in the third and fourth innings to take the lead before going on to add two in the sixth and three in the seventh. 
 
MWSU starting pitcher Cole Evans was dominant on the mound, tossing a complete game shutout with 11 strikeouts against just two walks. 

Junior pitcher Ollie Yuhas made the start for Concordia and was ultimately charged with the loss, going four innings while allowing four hits and one earned run.