Extra Bases Giveth And Extra Bases Taketh Away

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. (4/15/14)—Extra bases gave the Cobbers a win and then extra bases took a win away in Concordia's split with Hamline in a doubleheader played at St. John's on Tuesday. The Cobbers had four extra-base hits in the opener and won 7-3 and then had nothing but singles in the nightcap and fell 8-1.

The split puts Concordia at 10-9 for the season and moves their conference mark to 2-4. The Pipers are a similar 10-9 in all games and are now 4-5 in league competition.

The Cobbers' extra-base connection struck for a double, a pair of triples and a home run in the first game. CC then had the plug pulled on their power source and came up with seven singles in the second game. Concordia also allowed three timely doubles to Hamline in game No.2 which accounted for four of their seven runs.

Sophomore shortstop Phil Kuball was the hitting star for the Cobbers in the opener. He went 3-for-4 with three extra-base knocks and three RBI. He hammered a pitch over the left-center field fence for a solo home run in the third inning. He then doubled in the fifth and finally had a two-run triple to right field in the sixth inning.

Kuball was the only Concordia player with more than one hit in the first game as CC had eight total hits.

Cobber starting pitcher Jackson Meland finished with a complete game and scattered eight hits to pick up his third win of the year. He allowed three earned runs and struck out five. Meland also held Hamline to a .286 (2-for-7) average with runners in scoring position.

The second game was all about timely hitting. Hamline scored three of their runs with two outs in the inning and hit .364 with two outs. The Cobbers stranded 10 runners in the nightcap and were 2-for-7 with runners in scoring position and 4-for-14 with two outs in the inning.

The Cobbers outhit Hamline 7-6 in the second game. Kyle Kraemer and Jordan Gefroh had two hits each for CC. Both players went 2-for-4 in the game. Kuball drove in the lone run in the second game and finished the day by driving in four of the team's eight total runs.

Shawn Krueger started on the hill for Concordia in the finale and pitched the first 6.0 innings. He allowed five earned runs and four hits and was tagged for his first loss of the season. Sam Mattson, Cooper Wilson and Bryce Feia combined to pitch the final three innings of the game. Wilson and Feia didn't allow a hit in the eighth and ninth innings.   

The Cobbers will return to Moorhead and host Augsburg on Thursday, Apr. 17 at 1 p.m.