ST. JOSEPH, Minn. (4/11/15)—Hillary Rotunda continues to give Concordia quality starts and the Cobber offense came alive in a split at St. Benedict. Rotunda didn't allow an earned run in a 4-3 win in the opener and then the Blazers came back to claim a 9-4 victory in the second game.
The Cobbers pounded out 17 hits in the two games which is the second most in a conference twinbill since the 2013 season. The win over St. Ben's in the first game ends a three-game losing skid against the Blazers.
Concordia is now 9-12 in all games and 3-7 in conference play. The nine overall wins is the most in a single season since 2011 when CC went 9-27.
Rotunda shows no signs of tiring after pitching 24 innings on Wednesday and Thursday. She has now pitched 82.0 innings this year which is the seventh most in the MIAC.
Rotunda kept St. Ben's off balance by changing speeds all game long. She allowed only four hits and struck out seven. She upped her strikeout total to 63 for the year and lowered her ERA to 3.73.
Rotunda's only stumble in the opener came in the second inning when she gave three unearned runs on two hits.
Rotunda retired the final 11 batters she faced to pick up her team-leading fifth win of the year.
Concordia scored their four runs on a pair of two-run innings. Kayla Nack had a two-run double in the third and then Devonie Smith smacked a two-run homer in fourth frame. It was her second collegiate long ball.
Madison Little and Ashley Tibbetts both went 3-for-4 in the first game. Little remains the hottest hitter on the team. Her three hits marks the eighth time this season she has had multiple hits. Tibbetts recorded her sixth multiple-hit game of the year.
The Cobbers had seven more hits in the nightcap. Tibbetts was 2-for-3 and had an RBI single in the first to give CC a 1-0 lead.
St. Benedict would take the lead with a three-run third. They would add two more in the fourth and then win the game with four runs in the sixth inning.
Concordia scored three runs in the fifth to cut the lead to 5-4. Nack came up with the big hit as she doubled home two runs. Nack finished the day with four RBI.
The Cobbers have four players batting at least .300. Little was 1-for-3 in game 2 and leads the team with a .380 average. Tibbetts upped her average to .309, Nack is now hitting .304 and Mackee Hoffman, who had a single hit in both games vs. CSB, is hitting .300.
Concordia will stay on the road and play at Hamline on Sunday, Apr. 22 at 1 p.m.
