VIERA, Fla. — The Concordia-St. Paul softball team (11-12, 0-0 NSIC) dropped a pair of games to close out the Space Coast Games this afternoon. Falling to Palm Beach Atlantic (7-14) in a low scoring 2-1 contest in game one, before taking a 9-4 loss to Rockhurst (11-7) in game two. CSP wraps up play in Florida with a 5-5 record at the Space Coast Games.
Riley Rosenthal came up with four more hits in six trips to the plate this afternoon, the senior notched hits in 8 of 10 games on the Florida trip, to bat .468 at the games with four extra base hits and five RBI.
Ava Blake notched three hits in five at bats, Lily Burke had two hits in seven at bats with one double.
Emmy Bowne got the start in game one and tossed 6.0 innings, giving up one earned run, four hits and striking out five, coming away with a tough loss to fall to 4-6 on the year. Tatum Dunlavy took the circle in game two, giving up five earned runs on seven hits in 3.1 innings pitched to fall to 5-5.
The Golden Bears will take a two week break before opening conference play at home against UMary on Saturday, March 21. First pitch is set for 12 p.m.
Game One: CSP 1, PBA 2
After one and a half scoreless innings, the Sailfish put two runners on base with a double down the left field line. Plating the game's opening run on a ground out to second base, before extending the lead to two on a passed ball.
Lily Burke got things going for CSP in the third, lacing a double to the left-center gap and coming around to score on a Riley Rosenthal RBI single to cut the lead in half.
Tatum Dunlavy held the Sailfish off the board in each of the next four innings, giving up three hits the rest of the way to keep CSP within one.
In their final turn at the plate Ashlyn Peterson came up with a one out single, representing the tying run, but couldn't come around to score as CSP fell, 2-1.
Game Two: CSP 4, RU 9
The Hawks struck first in game two, coming up with one run on two hits to grab the game's first lead.
Lily Burke drew a four pitch walk to get things started in the bottom of the first, followed by a Riley Rosenthal opposite field single to send Burke to third. Rosenthal then swiped second, allowing Burke to steal home on the throw and tie the game at one.
Rockhurst tacked on two more in the top of the third on a pair of RBI doubles to take a 3-1 lead. CSP answered once again in the bottom half of the inning, cutting the deficit to one on a Riley Rosenthal RBI triple to right center, later tying the game on a Nora Brandt RBI groundout.
The Hawks opened things up in the fourth, striking for four runs on four hits and opening up a 7-3 lead.
Rosenthal and Haley Knoblauch came up with back-to-back singles to start the fifth, getting one back on an Ava Blake single through the left side of the infield. CSP loaded the bases in the bottom of the sixth, after two walks from Riley Rosenthal and Danni Sharum but couldn't cash in stranding three runners.
In the top of the seventh Rockhurst added two more on two doubles and a RBI single to center to open a 9-4 lead, which ended up being the final score.
