ST. PAUL, Minn. (4/16/16)—Pitcher Abigail Haraldson continues to impress in her junior season. Haraldson pitched all but one inning at No.15-ranked St. Thomas and only allowed seven total hits.
Haraldson held the nationally ranked Tommies to just two base hits in a 3-2 loss in the second game after the Cobbers fell 8-0 in six innings in the opener.
While Concordia was close in Game 2 it was still their sixth straight loss. CC is now 14-12 in all games and 1-7 in conference play. St. Thomas wins for the fifth straight game and is now 24-4 in all games and 11-1 in the MIAC.
Both of the games in the doubleheader were decided in the late innings. St. Thomas grabbed an early 2-0 lead when they scored a pair of runs in the first inning without having a hit. A pair of walks, a hit by pitch and an error gave the Tommies the early lead.
The game stayed at 2-0 until the fourth frame. The Cobbers didn't get their first hit of the opener until the fourth when Madison Little led off with a single up the middle. She would steal second but then get stranded on the base after a pair of strikeouts and a ground out to third.
St. Thomas put the game away in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings. UST plated two runs in the fourth, three in the fifth and then one more in the sixth to end the game on the eight-run rule.
The Cobbers were outhit 8-3 in the first game. Little had two of the three hits for CC as she went 2-for-3. Sadie Ness went 1-for-2 to record the team's other hit.
Haraldson pitched the first five innings in the game and allowed five earned runs and struck out five.
The Tommies duplicated their fast start in the second game by scoring two runs in the first inning and once again it was an error by the CC defense that helped them get out to the early lead.
Haroldson then buckled down and didn't allow another run until the sixth inning. In the second through fifth innings she gave up only one hit and didn't allow a runner past second base.
Concordia tied the game with a two-run inning of their own in the fourth. Little led off with a single and then Mackenzie McCloud reached first on a bunt single. After both runners moved up a base, CC was the recipient of a St. Thomas error which allowed both runs to score.
The Tommies won the game in the sixth without getting a hit. The leadoff batter was hit and then came around to score on a sacrifice fly after a throwing error by CC.
Both teams had six hits in Game 2. Little and McCloud had the only base knocks for CC.
Haroldson went all six innings and only allowed two hits and one earned run.
BACK-AND-FORTH THEY GO
Madison Little and Mackenzie McCloud have been going back and forth as the team's top hitter for most of the season. Little went 3-for-6 against the Tommies and is now hitting .381 for the season. Her three-hit afternoon helped her pass McCloud as the team's top hitter. McCloud went 1-for-5 on the day and is now second on the team in average with a .366 mark.
Little is now 12th on the Cobbers' all-time hit list. She has 104 hits in her career and needs five more to move into the top 10.
ALL GOOD THINGS MUST COME TO AN END
McCloud had her 12-game hit streak come to an end in the opener. She also had her 13-game streak of reaching base safely end. McCloud then promptly started another streak by getting a hit in the second game.
K RACE
While Abby Haraldson lost a pair of games to UST, she continues to lead Tommie pitcher Kierstin Anderson-Glass in the strikeout race. Haraldson struck out nine on the day and now has 140 K's for the season. That is four more than Anderson-Glass. Haraldson now needs 13 strikeouts to set the school record for K's in a single season.
WHAT'S NEXT
Concordia had their doubleheader with Gustavus scheduled for Sunday postponed to a later date because of rain in the forecast. The Cobbers will play at Carleton on Tuesday, Apr. 19 at 3:30 p.m.
