ST. PAUL, Minn. - Concordia-St. Paul (19-22, 14-15 NSIC) secured a crucial Northern Sun doubleheader sweep, picking up a pair of 1-run wins, 6-5 and 7-6 (14), on Sunday afternoon against Northern State (11-20, 9-17 NSIC) at Barnes Field.

The Golden Bears have now won six of their last seven games and four in a row while the Wolves have dropped six of their last seven heading into Monday's series finale, a 9-inning game at noon at Barnes Field.

Concordia's bullpen earned a win and a save on the day, combining to pitch 9.0 innings, allowing one run on seven hits and three walks with 13 strikeouts. The Golden Bears executed the 1-run wins despite Northern State hitting five home runs in the doubleheader compared to Concordia's one and the Wolves had more total hits in each game (8 to 5 and 12 to 11).

Concordia drew 18 walks and seven HBP in the doubleheader and manufactured runs efficiently with three sacrifice bunts and five sacrifice flies.

Gus Berger drove in Jack Setterlund for the winning run in each game, as CSP came back from a 5-1 game-one deficit with three runs in the bottom of the sixth and secured the game-two walk-off with Berger's bases-loaded 4-pitch walk in the 14th inning.

Setterlund was a tough out all day, going 2-4 with four walks, a HBP, a sacrifice fly, four runs and an RBI. Berger drove in a pair of runs in each game, giving him a team-high 48 RBIs.

GAME 1: CSP 6, NSU 5
Concordia opened the series by scoring early as Kaden Johnson drew a leadoff walk followed by a Charlie Harms single for an early threat with no outs. A Gus Berger sacrifice fly set the table for Eric Berg's sacrifice fly, which ultimately set the tone for how Concordia would execute throughout the doubleheader, leading to a pair of 1-run victories. 

Game one starting pitcher Ollie Yuhas was effective early, chewing through Northern State's first six hitters, only allowing a two-out bunt single to reach in the second inning. A caught stealing by Chase McQuade erased the runner as Yuhas faced the minimum through two.

He ran into trouble in the third, allowing leadoff back-to-back homers to give Northern State the early 2-1 lead. After he recorded a pair of outs, the Wolves put together a two-out rally with a single and a walk, setting up NSU's third homer of the inning for a 5-1 lead.

It was the only damage Yuhas would allow all day, though, as he produced zeros five times in his six innings of work.

After the three-run homer, he settled with a swinging strikeout for the third out to start a string of eight-straight outs to carry him into the sixth, his final inning, when he would allow a one-out single, stranding the runner on first by retiring the final two batters he faced.

Yuhas needed to patient to reclaim the lead, though, as Concordia went scoreless in the second through fourth innings, only getting two hits, a walk and an HBP in those three frames. 

In the fourth, Jack Setterlund and Kaden Johnson led off with back-to-back HBPs, moving to second and third on a wild pitch before Charlie Harms eventually walked to load the bases. An RBI groundout by Berger ended the scoreless stretch, and Berg followed with his second sacrifice fly of the game to make it a 2-run deficit, 5-3.

In the sixth, Hawken Hedlund reached on error to start things off with Blake Eckmann following a sharp single down the left field line, each advancing an extra base to second and third on NSU's second error of the inning. Eli Nelson made it a 1-run game with an RBI fielder's choice groundout and Setterlund walked again to turn it over to Johnson and the top of the lineup.

Johnson produced a game-tying RBI single through the left side, scoring Nelson from second, with Setterlund moving to third and Johnson to second on the throw home and Harms was hit by pitch to load the bases as Berger drove in the eventual game-winning run with a sacrifice fly to right, bringing home Setterlund.

With the lead in hand, head coach Neil Lerner turned to lights-out reliever Cole Newell to secure the win. He promptly retired the first two batters he faced on a pop-out to center and a strikeout, but the ninth batter singled up the middle despite Hedlund's attempt to range behind second base to make the play. A single to left and a walk loaded the bases with two outs before Newell induced NSU's three-hitter Collin Lott to pop-out to short to secure his second save.

Yuhas earned the win, improving to 4-3 as he allowed five runs on six hits in 6.0 innings. He struck out three and walked one on 93 pitches (58 strikes).

Maddox Plack took the loss for NSU, allowing six runs (four earned) in 5.1 innings. He gave up four hits and walked four with six strikeouts. 

Johnson went 1-2 with two runs, a walk and an RBI and Harms went 1-2 with a walk behind him. Berger was 1-2 with two RBIs and Berg was 0-1 but drove in a pair with two sacrifice flies. Blake Eckmann was 1-1 with a walk and HBP, McQuade and Eli Nelson combined to go 1-3 with a run and an RBI in the catcher spot and Setterlund was a tough out at the bottom of the lineup, going 0-1 with a walk, HBP and two runs.

Northern State's lineup was led by Drew Benson who was 2-3 with a three-run home run. Kyle Konechne and Jonah Schmidt each went 1-3 with a solo homer, as well.

GAME 2: CSP 7, NSU 6 (14 innings)
The Golden Bears took control early for sophomore right handed starting pitcher Tyus Smith, who continued his strong pitching in the early innings after last weekend's shutout at Minot State.

Smith entered the day with 12.1 consecutive scoreless innings and started game two by firing eight-straight strikes on his way to retiring the first eight batters he faced. 

Concordia gave him support early, too, with Kaden Johnson drawing a leadoff walk and scoring on Eric Berg's two-out double to left center. In the third, Jack Setterlund started the Golden Bears out with a leadoff walk and got into scoring position on Johnson's single. They moved to second and third with one out, with Setterlund scoring on Gus Berger's RBI single to center and Johnson scoring his second run of the game on Berg's sacrifice fly to right for a 3-0 lead.

Johnson went 2-5 with his 10th double, drew a pair of walks and scored twice. Berg was 2-5 with a pair of doubles (14), a run, two RBIs and a walk. 

A leadoff walk started Concordia in the fourth inning, too, as Blake Eckmann reached with Hawken Hedlund following with a single through the left side. Eli Nelson executed the sacrifice to put them each in scoring position and Setterlund knocked in Eckmann with a sacrifice fly and a 4-0 lead.

It was the first of three walks in the game for Eckmann, while Hedlund was 2-6 with a walk. 

Setterlund didn't receive his first official at-bat out until the 12th inning, the only time he was forced into an unproductive out when he led off with a flyout to right. In game two, he went 2-3 with two runs, an RBI, three walks and a sacrifice fly. 

In the fifth, Concordia tacked on two more insurance runs for Smith as Charlie Harms led off with his third homer of the season and Eric Berg popped a one-out double high off the fence down the left field line, stole third and scored on the errant throw. 

Smith's five scoreless innings pushed his streak to 17.1 consecutive innings without allowing a run. During the first five, he didn't issue any walks, and scattered three singles.

In the sixth, some bad luck pushed him into trouble for the first time. After hitting the leadoff batter, the top of the Wolves' lineup came up and Smith seemingly got the outcome he wanted, forcing a grounder to the right side. With Setterlund poised to glove the bouncer and flip to second for the start of a tailor-made doubleplay ball, the ball flipped off the lip of the grass in front of Setterlund, hopping well over his head into the outfield for a base hit. After a base hit down the left field line, Smith induced another tailor-made doubleplay grounder to the third hitter, but a rare infield error loaded the bases with no outs when a grand slam brought the Wolves within a run, 6-5.

Smith worked out of the inning from there after a single, retiring the next three batters on a strikeout, ground out and pop out.

While the scoreless innings streak came to a close, it was a strong start for the sophomore who pitched 6.0 innings, allowing five runs (four earned) on seven hits. He struck out five and didn't walk anyone on 90 pitches, turning the game over to the bullpen with the lead in the late innings.

Liam Bystol entered and worked a 1-2-3 seventh before a leadoff homer and a hit by pitch in the eighth ended his outing. With one out and a runner on second, junior right hander Justin Benjamin entered and shut down the threat, issuing a harmless walk with first base open before a strikeout and flyout ended the inning.

Bystol worked a solid 1.1 innings, allowing just the solo homer. He struck out one and needed only 22 pitches to six batters. 

Benjamin was dominant in his relief appearance, striking out five of the 12 batters he faced. He worked 2.2 scoreless innings, finishing the eighth and then throwing a scoreless ninth and 10th.

Meanwhile, the Concordia bats were silenced by Northern State's bullpen. After putting up six runs (five earned) in 5.0 innings against NSU starter Carson Zimmel, the Golden Bears went dormant from the sixth inning on. But it wasn't due to a lack of traffic, as CSP loaded the bases in the sixth, put runners on first and third in the seventh, first and second in the eighth, ninth and 10th innings with CSP hitting into an unfortunate infield fly double play that included confusion on the result of the play.

CSP also had first and third in the 11th and first and second in the 13th. The only time Concordia didn't put runners into scoring position after the fifth inning was a 1-2-3 12th inning. 

With Benjamin out after 10 innings, and Cole Newell used to save game one, pitching coach Derek Dahlke turned to Wednesday's starter Caden Carsen for some bulk relief, a role he has been familiar with all season. And Carsen delivered, entering with a 2-0 count and a runner on first in the 11th, Carsen secured an out on the sacrifice to the first batter he faced before getting a strikeout and a groundout.

He worked around a leadoff error in the 12th, and despite a two-out single giving NSU runners on the corners, Carsen picked up a big strikeout to end the Wolves' threat. In the 13th, a leadoff single gave NSU a runner on base to start an inning for the sixth-straight frame, with a steal and a grounder to the right side putting the go-ahead run on third base with two outs. Carsen induced a flyout to shut down the threat.

He worked a 1-2-3 14th for his fourth-straight shutout inning, recorded strikeouts on the first and third outs of the frame. Carsen worked 4.0 shutout innings, scattering a pair of singles with six strikeouts and no walks on 63 pitches.

In the bottom of the 14th, with one out, Setterlund got things going with a flare to the right side, beating out the play for an infield single to spark the Golden Bears. Johnson followed with a double to right field, putting the winning run 90 feet from home with the heart of the order coming up. An intentional walk to Harms with first base open loaded the bases for Berger, who drew a 4-pitch walk as Setterlund trotted home for the literal walk-off.

Berger drove in a pair, pushing his season RBI total to 48. Harms went 1-5 with the solo homer, but drew three walks among his eight trips to the plate. 

Carsen picked up the win, improving to 2-2 on the season, anchoring a bullpen that produced 8.0 innings of work, allowing one run on five hits and two walks with 12 strikeouts as a trio. 

Northern State's bullpen was just as good, working 8.1 innings and allowing just one run (the game-winner) on five hits. But NSU walked 10 which is ultimately what haunted the Wolves in the extra-inning loss, and struck out five. Owen Douglas took the loss, allowing one run on three hits and three walks in 1.1 innings. 

Ethan Price pitched in both games, working 4.0 shutout in game two, following Carter Sommer's 3.0 scoreless.

Collin Lott led NSU at the plate, going 3-6 with a grand slam for his fifth homer of the year. Casey Vining also homered, a solo for his only hit in seven at bats. 

Concordia left 19 runners on base in the 14-inning game while NSU left 11 runners on. CSP's hitters walked 14 times with eight strikeouts, while Concordia's pitchers combined for a 17-2 SO-BB ratio.