MOORHEAD, Minn. — The Concordia-St. Paul softball team (24-23, 13-11 NSIC) grabbed a split with the MSU Moorhead Dragons (9-38, 7-17 NSIC) on the road at the Nemzek Softball Field on Saturday afternoon. The Golden Bears slugged their way to a win in game one, using a five run sixth inning to grab a 9-0 win.
The Dragons got the better of CSP in game two, winning a back-and-forth battle in walkoff fashion on a throwing error to take the backend of the doubleheader,8-7.
Alexis Monty led CSP at the plate all afternoon, going 4-for-8 with two triples, a double, two RBI and four runs scored out of the leadoff spot. Danni Sharum was 2-for-5 on the afternoon, with both of her hits coming in game two, Sharum drove in three runs, two of which came on a two RBI double to right.
Lily Burke collected four hits in six trips to the plate, with a stolen base and four runs scored for CSP.
Emmy Bowne took the circle in game one and tossed all six innings, giving up no earned runs on five hits with four strikeouts to improve to 12-11 on the year.
The Golden Bears will wrap up their four game roadtrip with a doubleheader against Minnesota Crookston tomorrow afternoon in Crookston. First pitch of game one is set for 1 p.m.
Game One: CSP 9, MSUM 0 (6 Inn.)
Both teams put up zeros in the opening two innings of game one, before the Golden Bears got the third inning started with a one out Lily Burke single up the middle.
Alexis Monty followed with a RBI triple deep into the right center gap to send Burke home, giving CSP an early 1-0 advantage. Ava Blake put together a productive at bat in the two spot, shooting an 0-2 pitch to second base to plate Monty on the groundout and put the Golden Bears up by a pair.
After Emmy Bowne retired the Dragons in order in the third, the CSP bats got back to work in the fourth. Danni Sharum worked a nine pitch walk to get things started, Nora Brand shot a single through the left side of the infield a batter later to put two on with two out.
Emmy Bowne lined another single through the infield and plated CSP's third run. Lily Burke collected the third straight two hit to bring hole another and put the Golden Bears up 4-0.
Up by four in the top of the sixth, CSP put up another crooked number starting with a Gabby Martinez RBI single to grow the lead to five runs. Later in the inning, Lily Burke shot a single up the middle allowing another CSP run to score, Lily Burke lined a double down the right field line to break it open as the Golden Bears grabbed an 8-0 lead.
In total five runs crossed the plate in the sixth on five hits, with two Dragon errors mixed in to give CSP a 9-0 lead.
Emmy Bowne retired the Dragons in order in the bottom half of the inning to pick up the win and secure the 9-0 CSP victory.
Game Two: CSP 7, MSUM 8
The CSP bats stayed hot in game two, with Ava Blake lining a single to right and swiping second to get the Golden Bears in scoring position. Danni Sharum took advantage of the opportunity with a two out single down the left field line to plate the game's first run.
MSUM struck for two in the bottom half of the inning on a bases loaded RBI single up the middle to take a 2-1 lead. Tatum Dunlavy managed to get the third out of the inning and limit the damage to two.
In the bottom of the second Moorhead added on with two more on a steal of home and a wild pitch to take a 4-1 lead.
The Golden Bear bats went to work in the third, Lily Burke led off the inning with a single to left before an Ava Blake single put two on with one out. Danni Sharum shot a two RBI double to the right center gap to cut the deficit to one. Dunlavy held MSUM off the board in the third, to keep CSP within one.
A leadoff single and steal of second put a runner in scoring position for MSUM in the fourth. The Dragons capitalized with a sacrifice fly and a double to right center to make it a 6-3 ballgame.
Lily Burke worked a leadoff walk to start the fifth and Alexis Monty came up with her second RBI triple of the afternoon to make it a 6-4 game. CSP continued to battle as Riley Rosenthal made it a one run game with an RBI single of her own and Nora Brandt tied things at six with an RBI single to center.
The Dragons answered once more in the bottom of the fifth, regaining the lead on a two out error that allowed the runner from third to score unearned.
Once again CSP responded, after Monty lined a two out double to the left center gap, Ava Blake followed with a crucial two out RBI single to tie the game at seven.
The score remained seven all entering the bottom of the seventh inning, Moorhead loaded the bases on a pair of singles and a walk. With the drawn in infield MSUM shot a grounder to short, beating the one hop throw home to plate the winning run on a walkoff fielder's choice to grab a 8-7 win and the split.
