Tables Are Turned 24 Hours Later

ST. PAUL, Minn. (4/19/14)—24 hours after tying the game with two outs and two strikes in the bottom of the seventh – and then winning the game in extra innings – Concordia had the tables turned and lost a pair of games at No.13-ranked St. Thomas.

The Cobbers took an 8-6 lead into the bottom of the seventh inning but then watched as the Tommies scored two runs in the frame to tie the game at 8-8. The last run came with two outs and two strikes to the UST batter. St. Thomas then plated a single run in the eighth inning to win 9-8.

The Tommies rolled to a 14-1 win in the second game to complete the sweep. Concordia is now 12-11 in all games and 4-6 in the MIAC. The Cobbers are seventh place in the league standings but have the same amount of losses as the fourth-place team. St. Thomas remains unbeaten in conference play and is now 12-0. UST has a 23-5 overall record.

The opener was a back-and-forth affair with each team having a pair of multiple-run innings. The Tommies raced to a 5-0 lead before the Cobbers cut the lead 5-3. UST scored a single run in the fourth inning before CC tied the game with a three-run fifth frame.

Concordia scored single runs in the sixth and seventh innings to take an 8-6 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh. That is when the Tommies started on their two-run comeback trail.

Concordia had 11 hits, three triples and five extra-base hits in the first game. Devin Johnson regained his 2013 form by going 3-for-3 with three RBI and two runs scored. He had a two-run homer in the fourth and then a triple to center field in the fifth inning.

Braden Rahman and Jordan Gefroh were the only other CC players with more than one hit in the opener. Rahman went 2-for-2 with a triple and scored three runs while Gefroh was 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI. Michael Olson was responsible for the other Concordia long ball. He went deep with a two-run shot in the fifth.

The Cobbers gave up runs in each of the first four innings of the second game and then conceded an eight-run sixth inning. Concordia had three hits in the finale with Gefroh earning his second multiple-hit contest for the day. He went 2-for-3 and hit his second home run of the season in the fourth inning.

Gefroh went 4-for-7 with two runs scored and two RBI in the two games against the nationally-ranked Tommies. Gefroh has now hit safely in 10 straight games and upped his batting average to a team-best .406 for the season.   

Concordia will continue with their 10 games in 8 days stretch when they travel to Colelgeville to take on St. John's on Monday, Apr. 21.