Wilde And Wensloff Lead Cobber Offense At Hamline

ST. PAUL, Minn. (4/28/23)---A pair of seniors led Concordia in its final road doubleheader of the season. Molly Wilde had multiple hits in both games, including a home run, and Kate Wensloff had a 3-hit game in the finale of the Cobbers' 9-3 and 10-5 losses at Hamline.

The turning point of each game was a 5-run inning by the Pipers. In the first game, Hamline scored five runs in the fifth inning to turn a 4-2 tight scoreline into a 9-2 margin. HU struck for five runs in the fourth inning after Concordia had narrowed the lead to 5-3 with a pair of runs in the top of the fourth.

Wilde, who leads the Cobbers in almost every offensive category in 2023, went 2-for-3 in both games. She clouted her team-leading sixth/seventh long ball of the season to lead off the second inning and bring the score to 2-1. She also doubled and walked with the bases loaded to bring in Concordia's fifth run of the game.

Wensloff went 3-for-3 from the leadoff spot in Game 2. She doubled to lead off the third inning and drove in a run with a single up the middle in the fourth frame.

Wensloff's double in the third inning gave her 100 hits for career as she became the 12th player in program history to reach that milestone. She became the first player since Madison Little in 2017 to achieve that mark. Little finished her career with 155 career hits and is second on the all-time Cobber hit list.    

Concordia gave up two runs in the first inning of the opener but then tied the game in the fourth inning when Karissa Finnigan brought home Hailey Pangracs with a single, and Kate Gulbranson plated Finnigan with a double to left field.

Mallory Leitner pitched the first 3.0 innings for CC. After giving up the two runs in the first, she was able to retire five of the next six batters she faced.

Finnigan went the next 2.1 innings before Vanessa Ramos finished the final two outs of the game.

Concordia came through with 10 hits in the second game. Besides the combined five hits from Wilde and Wensloff, Pangracs, Gulbranson, Emma Redlin and Kailee Falconer had single hits for CC.

Ramos carried over her pitching duties from the first game and went the opening 3.0 frames of Game 2. Leitner came on in the fourth to get two outs, and then freshman Lauren Staples completed the final 2.1 innings.

WHEN IS A RECORD NOT A RECORD?: Molly Wilde hit her seventh total home run of the year. However, at this point, only six are official. Wilde knocked out a long ball in the Cobbers' 7-7 suspended game against Macalester. As of now, the MIAC hasn't declared the game official, so the stats don't count in the game – hence, Wilde only has six HRs this year.

What's the big deal? The Cobber single-season record for home runs is seven which was set by Sydney Roberts in 2016. When the MIAC puts its official stamp on the game once the season ends, the stats will count and Wilde will be in the record books. She could make all this irrelevant if she went deep two more times in the final four games.

Cobber Career Hit Leaders
1. 162 - Kelli Niess - 2004-07
2. 155 - Madison Little - 2014-17
3. 153 - Kaia Sele - 2010-13
4. 132 - Jill Pontius - 1999-02
5. 130 - Kathy Braun - 1999-02
6. 114 - Kesley Jones - 2009-12
7. 113 - Joelle Link - 2010-13
8. 109 - Mandy Pearson - 2002-05
9. 108 - Amanda Michaelson - 2006-09
10. 102 - Ashley Tibbetts - 2012-15
11. 101 - Kate Wensloff - 2019-23
12. 100 - Maddie Haroldson - 2007-10 

UP NEXT: Concordia will host its annual Senior Celebration Day on Sunday, Apr. 30, when they face Carleton at 1:00 p.m.