Pitching + Offense = 3-Game Win Streak

Clermont, Fla. (2/25/16)—A day after pitching a one-hit 11-strikeout shutout, junior pitcher Abigail Haraldson upped that stat line by striking out 12 and not allowing an earned in both of the Cobbers' wins on Wednesday.

Haraldson went the distance in a 5-0 win over Augustana (ill.) and then pitched the first three innings in Concordia's 11-7 win over Johnson State (Vt.).

Haraldson's early-season dominance in the circle coupled with the 20-hit attack by the Cobber offense pushed CC's win streak to games and has Concordia at 3-1 in the first four games of the year.

Against the Vikings in the opener, Haraldson struck out eight, allowed just three hits and didn't allow a runner to advance past second base until the seventh inning.

Concordia did their offensive damage in the first and sixth innings. The Cobbers got on the board in the very first at-bat of the day when freshman Nicole Johannes singled home fellow freshman Cora Zackrison. Devonie Smith scored the second run of the inning when Mackenzie McCloud grounded out to second base.

The Cobbers plated three runs on two hits and were aided by two Viking errors in the sixth inning. The big hit of the inning came off the bat of freshman Sydney Roberts when she hammered a double to left field that drove in two runs.

The first-year trio of Zackrison, Johannes and Roberts all had multiple-hit games in the opener as the three accounted for six of the team's eight hits and three of the four RBI.

Like the first game vs. Augustana, the nightcap against Johnson State hinged around two big offensive innings. The Cobbers scored posted back-to-back five-run innings and bolted out to a 10-1 lead over the Badgers.

Concordia had 12 hits in Game 2. Gabby Gardner and Smith had the multiple-hit games for CC. Gardner was 3-for-4 while Smith went 2-for-4. Madison Little and Madi Veith both drove in two runs.

Haraldson allowed three hits and struck out four to earn her third win in Florida. She has now struck out 26 batters in 19.0 innings of work. Her scoreless inning streak has now reached 13 innings and she has lowered her season ERA to 3.32.

Roberts leads the team in batting average after four games.  She is 5-for-7 at the plate and has scored five runs and has three doubles. She has a hit in all four games. The other CC player with a hit in all four games is McCloud who is hitting .417 for the trip.

WHAT'S NEXT
Concordia will look to continue its early-season success when they play Ohio Northern and Southwestern (Tex.) on Friday in Clermont, Fla.