ST. CLOUD, Minn. — The Concordia-St. Paul softball team opened its 2026 season with a 1-1 start at the Kelly Laas Memorial Tournament in St. Cloud on Friday afternoon. The Golden Bears started the day with a win over the Bemidji State Beavers, 5-4 in extra innings. CSP dropped the second game of the day to Southwest Minnesota State, 10-4.
Alexis Monty went 3-for-6 across both games, drawing two walks and scoring one run. Danni Sharum recorded two hits in eight trips to the plate, while drawing two walks. Katie Klotz recorded two hits as well, including the Golden Bears lone extra base knock of the day. Bryleigh Dana went 2-for-2 in game two, drawing one walk and driving in one run.
Emmy Bowne got the win in the circle for CSP in game one, allowing 10 hits, four earned runs and striking out four in 8.0 innings of work. Tatum Dunlavy got the start for CSP in game two, taking the loss after giving up four earned runs on five hits, with four strikeouts in 3.0 innings of work.
The Golden Bears will wrap up play at the Kelly Laas Memorial Tournament, with a pair of games against SMSU and St. Cloud State. First pitch against SMSU is set for 12 p.m. Game two against St. Cloud State is scheduled for a 4 p.m. start time.
Game One: CSP 5, BSU 4 (8 innings)
Bemidji State struck first, plating a run in the top of the first inning on an RBI single to right. The Beavers added on in the fourth with another RBI single to right to make it a 2-0 ballgame.
CSP's big inning came in the bottom half of the fourth, Katie Klotz got things started with a leadoff single up the middle, advancing all the way to third on a pair of wild pitches. From there Ava Blake drew a walk, followed by Ashlyn Peterson plating the Golden Bears first run on a bunt single.
Lily Burke tied the game with a sacrifice bunt, bringing home Klotz. A double steal and subsequent errant throw by the Bemidji State catcher allowed Peterson to score the go ahead run.
A Nora Brandt walk and Katie Klotz double put two on with nobody out for CSP in the bottom of the fifth. Gabby Martinez reached on a fielder's choice, allowing Klotz to score from third to make it a 4-2 game.
Bemidji State plated two in the top of the sixth on a pair of sacrifice flies to knot things up at four. Emmy Bowne tossed a pair of scoreless frames from there, to keep the game tied heading into the bottom of the eighth.
Gabby Martinez opened the bottom half of the extra frame with a sacrifice bunt, moving Ava Blake to third. Ashlyn Peterson executed a perfect squeeze bunt to bring home the winning run in Blake as the Golden Bears took down the Beavers in walkoff fashion, 5-4.
Game Two: CSP 4, SMSU 10
A two RBI single to right in the top of second put the Mustangs head in the early going, CSP responded with one in the bottom half of the inning. SMSU opened tacked on another in the third to make it a 3-1 game.
In the bottom half of the third, the Golden Bears struck for three runs, plating one on a Gabby Martinez sacrifice bunt. Ava Blake tied the game on a sharp RBI single to center, a sharp single through the left side off the infield by Bryleigh Dana brought home the go ahead run to make it a 4-3 CSP lead.
The Mustangs put up a three spot in the fifth to regain the lead and never relented, adding on three more in the sixth and one in the seventh. CSP failed to answer, being held scoreless in the final four frames, as the Mustangs went on to win, 10-4.
In total CSP left nine runners on base in the loss, despite putting nine hits on the board.
