A Tale Of The Unanswered In Northfield

NORTHFIELD, Minn. (4/19/16)—It was a tale of the unanswered between Concordia and Carleton. The Cobbers scored three unanswered runs in the opener and won 7-4 and then the Knights returned the favor and scored eight unanswered runs in the second game and won 9-4.

The win in the first game snapped a six-game losing skid for Concordia. The Cobbers are now 15-13 in all games and 2-8 in the MIAC. The 15 overall wins is the most in a single season since 2006 when the team went 15-19.

Not only did the winning team score the final runs in each game but both the Cobbers, in Game 1, and the Knights, in Game 2, had a four-run inning and a three-run frame. Concordia scored four times in the fourth and then three in the sixth in the opener and then Carleton plated four runs in the third and then three in the fourth in the finale.

The first game started out with neither team being able to score. Concordia went through the first three innings with only one hit while Carleton had three hits but no runs.

The game changed in the fourth when both teams scored four times. The Cobbers had four hits in the top of the inning to get their four runs. Sydney Roberts had a two-run double while the other two runs came courtesy of Knight errors.

Carleton (8-20/2-10 MIAC) scored their four runs on five hits. They got five of their first six hitters on base and were also helped by a CC miscue.

Concordia won the game in the sixth when Gabby Gardner led off with a single. Sadie Ness also singled and then Mackenzie Jensen walked to load the bases. Madison Little then hit into a fielder's choice with Gardner being thrown out at the plate but the catcher then tried to get Little out at first and made an error. That allowed Ness and Jensen to score and then a subsequent throwing error allowed Little to run all the way around the bases for the third run of the inning.

Concordia was outhit 10-8 in the first game. A trio of Cobbers had two hits in the game. Mackenzie McCloud, Gardner and Ness were all 2-for-4 and Roberts had the only two RBI in the game for CC.

Abigail Haraldson pitched a complete game to pick up her 10th win of the year. She also struck out 10 and allowed only three earned runs and one walk. She helped her cause by getting the Knights to hit only .125 with two outs in an inning.

The Cobbers took a 4-1 lead in Game 2 after scoring a single run in each of the first two innings and then two more times in the third. Unfortunately the wheels would come off for Concordia after that as they allowed eight unanswered runs which came courtesy of a four runs in the third, three in the fourth and then one more in the fifth.

Roberts had an RBI single in the first and then Ness singled in the second, stole second and third and scored on a wild pitch. CC's final two runs of the game came after Little tripled and scored on a McCloud sacrifice fly and then Nicole Johannes singled home Devonie Smith who had walked.

Concordia used three pitchers in Game 2. Haraldson went the first three innings and then Kali Covert entered the circle in the fourth and pitched two frames before giving way to Mariah Prokott who hurled a 1-2-3 sixth inning.

Little led the seven-hit attack for the Cobbers in the nightcap. She was 3-for-4 and scored twice. CC had four other players get one hit each in the game.

ON THE BRINK OF A RECORD
Junior Abigail Haraldson had 12 strikeouts in the two games and now has 152 for the season. That ties the single-season school record set by Kesley Jones in 2009. Haraldson has 152 K's in 128.2 innings pitched this year. Last year she had 98 strikeouts in 116.0 innings pitched.

TRIPLETS
Madison Little became the third Cobber player to get two triples on the year when she led off the third inning of Game 2 with a three-bagger. She joins Mackenzie McCloud and Nicole Johannes for the team lead. Concordia now has 10 triples on the year which is tops in the MIAC.

WHAT'S NEXT
Concordia had its doubleheader with Augsburg scheduled for Wednesday, Apr. 20 postponed due to wet field conditions because of two straight days of rain in the Fargo-Moorhead area. No make-up date has been set as of this time. The next regularly-scheduled game for the Cobbers is on Saturday, Apr. 23 when they travel to St. Paul to take on St. Catherine. CC will then host Hamline on Sunday, Ap. 24 at 1 p.m.