Stellar Sweep For The Seniors

MOORHEAD, Minn. (5/01/21)---Concordia needed two wins. Concordia got two wins. The Cobbers ground out a 7-5 in the opener against St. Mary's and then scored 10 runs in the finale to claim a 10-6 victory.

The two victories were huge in the Concordia's push for their first-ever playoff appearance. The Cobbers are now 8-12 in MIAC play and in sixth place in the conference standings. They are 1.0 games ahead of seventh-place Gustavus in the standings. CC is now 20-18 overall. It is their first 20-win season since the 2000 season when the Cobbers went 22-19 and finished in third place in the league standings.

The Cobbers used crooked-number innings in the opener to claw their way to a 7-5 win. CC opened the day by scoring three runs in the first frame. Concordia had four hits in the first and were led by RBI-doubles from Amy Quast and Valerie Kolstad.

St. Mary's rebounded and took a 4-3 lead in the fourth by scoring once in the third and then three more times in the fourth.

The Cobbers wouldn't let the lead hold up for very long as they scored two runs in the bottom of the fourth to take a 5-4 lead and then added the two insurance runs in the sixth. CC scored both of their runs in the fourth without a hit as they walked twice and were helped by an error. Quast then completed her 3-RBI game with a 2-run single to right field in the sixth frame.

The Cobbers and Cardinals each had 10 hits in Game 1. Senior Megan Gavin went 2-for-4 and scored twice to help her cause in the circle. Quast was 3-for-4 with the three runs driven in.

Gavin went all 7.0 innings in the circle. She struck out 10 and allowed three earned runs. Gavin's biggest inning in the game came in the fifth when she allowed a leadoff double and then an infield single. She then retired the next three batters and kept SMU from retaking the lead.

Her complete-game win was her eighth of the season.

The second game was settled in the bottom of the fifth inning. Concordia scored at least one run in each of the first four frames but was tied 6-6 with the Cardinals. Hannah Wilke started the 4-run, 4-hit attack. She doubled home Quast before Riley Bergstrom came through with a 2-run, bloop single down the right field line. Gavin finished off the inning with an RBI single to center field.

Concordia posted its second straight double-digit hit total of the day. The Cobbers outhit St. Mary's 14-9 in the nightcap. Gavin and Wilke both had 3-hit games to lead CC. Gavin was 3-for-4 while Wilke went 3-for-3. Ellie Tofteland went 2-for-2 and Landry Maragos was 2-for-3 as the four hitters combined for 10 of the team's 14 hits.

Amber Taylor started the game for the Cobbers and went the first 4.0 innings and allowed four earned runs. Tori Herrboldt came on with the game tied at 6-6 and didn't allow a run in 2.0 innings to record her fourth win of the year. Senior Cassie Bohnsack finished off the final home game of the year when she pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

UP NEXT: Concordia will close out the regular season on Tuesday, May 4 with a DH at Augsburg. If the Cobbers can sweep the Auggies, they will earn a spot in the 6-team MIAC playoff tournament.