ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Concordia-St. Paul softball team (21-16, 10-4) opened its 2026 home slate on a sunny Friday afternoon at Carlander Field. The Golden Bears earned a split with the Southwest Minnesota State Mustangs (24-28, 10-6 NSIC), earning a 9-3 win in game one behind a pair of long balls from Danni Sharum and Katie Klotz. SMSU flipped the script in game two with a 7-2 win to secure the split. 

Danni Sharum went 3-for-4 in game one, recording her first three-hit game of the season, while belting one home run, her third of the season while driving on one and scoring one run. Alexis Monty went 2-for-4 at the plate in game one, driving in three runs. Gabby Martinez collected the first multi-hit game of her collegiate career, going 3-for-3 with a double, RBI and run scored.

Katie Klotz smacked her second roundtripper of the season, going 2-for-4 and driving in a pair. Ava Blake notched four hits in seven trips to the plate across both games, with one double and two runs scored. 

In the circle, Emmy Bowne tossed her team leading 12th complete game of the season, going 7.0 innings, giving up four hits and two earned runs with five strikeouts, picking up the win to improve to 8-6 on the year. 

The Golden Bears are back in action tomorrow afternoon when they take on the Sioux Falls Cougars at the Husky Dome in St. Cloud. First pitch of game one is set for 4 p.m. 

Game One: CSP 9, SMSU 3

Neither side could push across a run in the opening frame, as Emmy Bowne retired the side in order in each of the first two innings. In the bottom half of the second the Golden Bears broke through, plating the game's first run on a Gabby Martinez single through the left side of the infield. 

Later in the inning, Alexi Monty drove in a pair on a line drive single to left to open up a 3-0 CSP advantage. SMSU got one back in the third on a solo shot to left field off the bat of Grace Anderson. 

Danni Sharum got things started with a leadoff solo homer to deep right center in the bottom of the third inning. The CSP lineup continued to apply pressure when a pair of singles and a walk loaded the bases. Ashlyn Peterson plated one on a sacrifice fly to right to make it a 5-1 ballgame. 

Another Mustang solo shot and a RBI single cut the CSP lead to two in the fourth. In the bottom of the fifth Nora Brandt got things started with a leadoff single, before Gabby Martinez lined a double to the right field corner to put two in scoring position. 

Monty plated one run on a sac fly to straightaway right, before Lily Burke brought home CSP's seventh run on a sac fly of her own. 

The Golden Bear put the leadoff runner on once more in the sixth on a Danni Sharum single to left, followed by Katie Klotz launching a two-run bomb to left to open a 9-3 lead. 

Emmy Bowne put the finishing touches on her 12th complete game of the season, retiring the side in order to secure the 9-3 win. 

As a team the Golden Bears recorded 16 hits, setting a new season-high, going 8-for-18 with runners on base. 

Game Two: CSP 2, SMSU 7 

Aliza Acker got the Mustangs on the board in game two, with a solo homer to straightaway left field. SMSU tacked on another in the second after a leadoff double came around to score on an RBI single to right field, opening up a 2-0 Mustang lead. 

The Golden Bears battled back in the second, starting the inning off with a Bryleigh Dana leadoff single. Gabby Martinez shot a single to left plating Dana to make it a 2-1 game, one batter later, Ashlyn Peterson came up with an RBI single of her own to knot things up at two. 

SMSU once again took control of the game, scoring four runs on four hits in the third, opening up a 6-2 lead on a two RBI single to right. 

Lily Burke led off the third with a double and Ava Blake doubled down the left field line to start the fourth, but CSP stranded both runners as the score remained, 6-2. 

SMSU pushed one more across on a sac fly in the top of the seventh, locking things down in the bottom half of the inning to grab a 7-2 win. 

Tatum Dunlavy started game two for CSP, going 2.1, giving up seven hits and six earned runs to take the loss and fall to 8-6 on the year. Abi Carter came on in relief and pitched 4.2 innings, giving up no earned runs with one strikeout. 

Lily Burke notched a 3-for-4 at the plate in game two with a double. Gabby Martinez was 1-for-2 at the plate with a walk, RBI and run scored.