MINNEAPOLIS – Concordia-St. Paul (10-10, 5-3 NSIC) secured a pair of Northern Sun victories on Friday morning at US Bank Stadium, defeating Southwest Minnesota State 12-7, 2-6 NSIC) 3-2 and 5-3.
 
The series concludes with a Saturday morning game at US Bank Stadium. The game start time has been pushed back an hour to an 8 a.m. start.
 
Concordia pitchers combined to record 17 strikeouts to just four walks in 16 innings, limiting the Mustangs to just eight total hits in the doubleheader.
 
Kaden Johnson went 4-9 including a first inning home run in game two, and Charlie Harms went 4-8 with the go-ahead single in the seventh inning of game one and the go-ahead RBI double in the fourth inning of game two. They each had two-hit games in both legs of the doubleheader.
 
Gus Berger had a double in each game, giving him nine for the season, while going 3-7 with a run, stolen base and an RBI on the day.

From the top of the lineup, Nick Carlson went 2-6 with two walks and a triple.
 
GAME 1: CSP 3, SMSU 2
Concordia's three pitchers combined for a three-hitter as the bullpen provided 3.1 no-hit innings to keep SMSU off the scoreboard in the late innings.
 
The late-inning pitching and defense were vital as CSP overcame a 2-0 deficit with two runs in the sixth before scoring the go-ahead run in the top of the seventh inning.
 
The Golden Bears weren't without their chances through the early innings, leaving a runner on second base in the first inning and stranding runners on first and second with a two-out rally that came up empty in the third.
 
Starting pitcher Sam Kennedy was brilliant in the early going, meanwhile, allowing just one baserunner, a one-out walk in the second inning, through the first three innings. No Mustangs reached scoring position among the first 10 batters against him, either.
 
In the fourth, Kennedy ran into some trouble facing the Mustang lineup a second time, allowing back-to-back singles up the middle to start the inning followed by an RBI double. A sacrifice fly scored the second run for the second out. Following the sacrifice fly, Kennedy's morning would come to an end, leaving the mound with CSP's athletic trainer and batting practice specialist Joe Hoffer.
 
Kennedy had a strong performance, allowing two runs on three hits and a walk with five strikeouts on just 55 pitches (34 strikes).
 
Liam Bystol entered and induced a groundout to end the inning after a walk before working around a two-out SMSU rally in the fifth as the Mustangs drew a pair of walks with two outs before popping out.
 
Bystol bridged the gap, getting four outs (1.1 IP) without allowing a hit, getting two groundouts and a pair of infield popouts.
 
In the top of the sixth, Concordia got rolling with four-straight one-out hits as singles by Kaden Johnson and Charlie Harms set up an RBI single by Eric Berg to break SMSU's shutout. Gus Berger followed by pulling a double down the right field line off the black part of the extended wall, below the yellow home run line, scoring Harms to tie the game.
 
It was Berger's eighth double of the season. Blake Eckmann would be hit by pitch on the next at bat to load the bases with one out, chasing SMSU starter Cody Wichmann from the game after a solid 5.2 inning start.
 
SMSU reliever Austin Dent entered in a tough spot in a tie game with the bases loaded and one out, but picked up a called third strike for the second out before an inning-ending flyout.
 
In the late innings, Concordia turned to Justin Benjamin, who made quick work of the Mustangs. He retired all six batters he faced, including a pair of strikeouts in the sixth inning and one in the seventh. He only need 19 pitches to record his six outs, with an efficient 14 strikes.
 
In the top of the seventh, CSP ninth batter Eli Nelson led off with a single up the middle, turning it over to the top of the lineup. Nick Carlson followed by executing a sacrifice bunt, and Kaden Johnson nearly legged out a grounder to the right side, but was able to advance Nelson to third base with two outs.
 
Charlie Harms then hit a bouncer to the hole that SMSU shortstop Brock Woitalla fielded to his backhand just past the infield arc, leaving him without a play as Harms drove in Nelson for the go-ahead run and a 3-2 lead.
 
Benjamin's final out of the seventh inning was a strikeout of SMSU leadoff batter Levi Lampert as the Mustangs' top hitter went 0-4 with a pair of strikeouts, ending his 64-game streak of reaching base safely with a hit, walk or hit by pitch.
 
Johnson and Harms each went 2-4 for CSP out of the 2-3 lineup pocket, with Johnson scoring a run and Harms scoring and driving in a run.
 
Berg and Berger each had a hit and an RBI, Berg going 1-4 and Berger going 1-3 with a double.
 
CSP also received a hit from the top and bottom of the lineup as Nick Carlson went 1-2 with a walk and a sacrifice and Eli Nelson was 1-3 with a run.
 
Concordia registered eight hits and a walk in the game while CSP's pitchers stifled SMSU to just three hits and four walks.
 
Wichmann did not factor into the decision for SMSU, allowing two runs on six hits and a walk in 5.1 innings. Dent took the loss despite pitching out of the sixth-inning bases-loaded, one-out jam. He allowed a run on two hits in 1.2 innings.
 
GAME 2: CSP 5, SMSU 3
Concordia jumped on the Mustangs in the first inning of game two, as Kaden Johnson blasted a one-out solo home run to centerfield. Concordia would also load the bases, but were unable to build on the early momentum.
 
Starting pitcher Ollie Yuhas was solid to open game two, getting the first five Mustangs out including a pair via strikeout. He worked around a two-out infield single in the second.
 
In the third, the Mustangs got to him, hitting a two-out, three-run home run to give SMSU the lead.
 
From there, he was exceptional, getting a pair of strikeouts to open the fifth and retiring the last four batters he faced including a 1-2-3 sixth inning.
 
After stranding runners on second and third in the third inning, Concordia reclaimed the advantage in the fourth inning.

With one on and out, Will Husemann launched a two-run, game-tying home run into the concourse in right centerfield.
 
Nick Carlson followed with a walk, and with two outs Charlie Harms produced a go-ahead double as he reached in each of his first three plate appearances on the day.

The 4-3 lead after four innings was enough, as CSP's pitching staff took it from there.
 
Yuhas would secure the win, improving to 2-2 as he allowed three runs on four hits and two walks with four strikeouts, needing just 76 pitches.
 
Cole Newell took over, pitching a near-perfect three innings, allowing just one sun-aided hit, a one-out double in the eighth inning. But after the sun ball in the eighth, Newell took matters into his own hands, striking out the next four and getting a fly out to right for the save on a 46-pitch outing in three shutout innings.
 
Concordia added an insurance run in the top of the ninth, getting some help from the sun on their side as well, with Max Kaplan placing a well-hit fly ball over the center fielder's head, scoring Berger from first base with two outs.
 
In game two, the Golden Bears had three multi-hit performances: Kaden Johnson (2-5), Charlie Harms (2-4) and Gus Berger (2-4). All three had an extra-base hit, as well, with Johnson hitting a home run, and Harms and Berger each adding doubles. Nick Carlson and Max Kaplan each had a triple and Will Husemann hit his second home run of the season as the Golden Bears produced six extra-base hits on the day compared to just five total hits by the Mustangs.
 
Concordia was able to draw six walks and produce five hits against starting pitcher Jameson Quinn, who entered play with a 23-5 SO-BB ratio in 23.0 innings on the season. Today, he struck out only two Golden Bears, taking the loss to fall to 2-2 in 5.0 innings.
 
Tad Tjaden had a strong relief performance for SMSU, allowing a run on five hits with five strikeouts to one walk in 4.0 innings to keep SMSU in the contest.
 
Jared Cortez went 2-4 with a three-run homer for SMSU, his second of the season.
 
After getting on base in 64-straight games, Concordia kept Levi Lampert off the bases for a second-straight game as he went 0-4 with two strikeouts in game two and is 0-8 with four strikeouts in the doubleheader. The hot start for Lampert still has his average sitting at .425 on the year.