9 Hits In Game 2 Not Enough In DH Loss

MOORHEAD, Minn. (4/24/21)---Concordia faced St. Thomas for the final time on Sunday and dropped a pair of decisions to the Division I-bound Tommies.

The Cobbers lost 6-1 in Game 1 and then had their bats come alive in the second game but wound up on the wrong side of a 9-6 score.

The two losses evens Concordia's overall record at 17-17 on the year. CC is 5-11 in the MIAC and tied for seventh place in the league standings. St. Thomas wins for the 10th time in the last 11 games and ups its record to 21-5 in all games and 14-5 in conference play.

Concordia struggled to find runners in the first game. CC sent 13 batters to the plate to start the opener and all 13 were retired. Sophomore Drew Syverson was the first Cobber base runner when she hit a ball to the shortstop and reached on an error.

The Cobbers put multiple runners on base in both the sixth and seventh innings but couldn't come up with a run-scoring hit. Ashley Hendrickson coaxed a 1-out walk in the sixth. Riley Bergstrom followed with the only hit of the game for CC – a single through the left side of the infield. Landry Maragos, who reentered the game as a pinch runner for Hendrickson advanced to second but was then erased on a fielder's choice play and the inning finished with a foul out to the third baseman.

Concordia had two runners get aboard due to defensive miscues. They would eventually move up to second and third on a wild pitch with two outs but were stranded after a game-ending strikeout.

Megan Gavin struck out five in Game 1. The new career Cobber strikeout leader, who was honored between games, pitched the full 7.0 innings and has 447 career strikeouts.   

The Cobbers had nine hits in the second game and were led by Taylor Erholtz, Kate Wensloff and Kenzie Leither who all had multiple-hit games. Erholtz was 3-for-4 while Wensloff and Leither both had two base knocks in the finale.

The biggest rally of the game for the Cobbers came in the fifth inning after CC fell behind 9-2. Concordia put the first three hitters on base with a pair of singles up the middle and then a walk. Erholtz would then score on a wild pitch before Valerie Kolstad emptied the other two bases with a double that found the right-center gap.

The final run of the fifth, and the game for CC, came on a successful double steal of home. With Kolstad on third and Solveig Lundberg on first after a walk, Lundberg stole second – and when the throw went all the way down to second base – Kolstad broke for home and beat the throw.

Concordia came up with only one more hit in the game and dropped the 9-6 decision.    

The Cobbers used three pitchers in Game 2. Amber Taylor started the game and was relieved by Tori Herrboldt in the fourth inning. Senior Cassie Bohnsack came on in the fifth and pitched the final 3.0 innings, didn't give up a run and only allowed one hit.

UP NEXT: After Concordia had its doubleheader at Augsburg on Sunday postponed until May 4, the Cobbers' next action will come on Tuesday, Apr. 27 when they host Carleton at 4 p.m.