A Pair Of 5-1 Decisions In Indoor Split

DUNDAS, Minn. (3/12/21)---After playing the last four games outdoors, Concordia returned to the indoor setting and the results stayed the same. The Cobbers battled Wis.-Superior in a doubleheader at the Dundas Dome in Dundas, Minn. and the team split identical 5-1 wins. The Yellowjackets took the 4-run win in the opener and then the Cobbers claimed the 5-1 victory in the second game which lasted only six innings due to time constraints.

In the end it was a 4-run seventh inning in Game 1 that kept the Cobbers from their first sweep of the season. Superior scored four times in the seventh in the opener to take the 5-1 win. That would be the only time Concordia would trail the entire day.

Sophomore pitcher Amber Taylor recorded her team-leading third win of the season in Game 2. She was helped by an offense that posted crooked numbers in the first and sixth frames. Concordia had six different players put up a single base knock each in the finale with Kenzie Leither coming away with the biggest hit when she drove in a pair of runs in the first inning to give CC the early-game momentum.    

GAME 1 RECAP: The teams traded runs in the third inning before the Yellowjackets won the game in the seventh with their 4-run outburst. Superior plated their run in the third when they picked up a 1-out walk and then followed that with successive singles. The Cobbers would counter in the bottom of the inning with a run without getting a hit. Sophomore Ellie Tofteland started the game-tying rally when she was beaned in the leadoff spot. Hannah Wilke walked to send Tofteland to second. Tofteland would score on the next at-bat when the Superior defense threw away a fielder's chance opportunity.

The Yellowjackets briefly threatened in the fourth and fifth innings but each time Megan Gavin breezed out of the inning by getting back-to-back outs. In the fourth, Superior had a runner on third but then Gavin turned up the gas and got successive strikeouts. In the fifth, with runners on first and second, Gavin got a K and a ground out to shortstop.

The Cobbers threatened in the fifth when they put runners on second on two occasions but couldn't get their second run across home plate.

Superior won it in the seventh with four runs on two hits and were aided by three CC errors.

Gavin finished the game with 13 strikeouts. She allowed five runs but only two were earned. Superior got seven hits in the game but all were singles.

Concordia had two hits in the opener. Tofteland went 1-for-1 with a walk and a HBP. Taylor Erholtz went 1-for-3 and had the only extra-base hit with a 2-out double to right field in the second inning.

GAME 2 RECAP: The Cobbers wasted little time in seizing control of Game 2. The Cobbers, playing as the visiting team, put their first three batters on base and stole three bases. Leither drove in both runs when she singled after Riley Irmen and Riley Bergstrom bot reached on errors.

Concordia would push the lead to 3-0 in the third. Once again it was the leadoff tandem of Irmen and Bergstrom that got on base and scored the run. Irmen led off with a walk and then stole second. Bergstrom singled to advance Irmen to third. Leither followed with a ground ball to second base which erased Bergstrom but allowed Irmen to score.

The lead reached 5-0 in the sixth when CC scored twice in the top of the inning. Erholtz came through with her second double of the day to lead off the inning. Amy Quast's single brought home Drew Syverson who pinch ran for Erholtz. Quast would come around to score on a 2-out single from Kate Loidolt.

Superior scored their only run of the nightcap with a 2-out single. Taylor gave up a leadoff walk but then got a swinging strikeout and a ground out before the single up the middle broke up the shutout.

The Cobbers outhit Superior 6-5 in Game 2. Each team only had one extra-base in the game.

Taylor went the distance to grab the win. She struck out five, slowed the one earned run and five hits.

For the second straight game CC had multiple players with a single hit each.

MAKING UP FOR A LOST SEASON: Gavin continues to rack up strikeouts at a record-setting pace. She fanned 13 more on Friday and has posted double-digit K totals in each of her first three games in 21. Gavin has 42 strikeouts in 21.0 innings which averages out to 2.0 Ks per inning (even a math deficient SID can figure that one without a calculator). Gavin now has 319 career strikeouts which is 14 shy of third place on the all-time Cobber K list. Gavin has a team-best 1.67 ERA and opposing hitters are batting only .185 against her.

STOLEN AWAY IN DUNDAS: Concordia stole eight bases in the two games on Friday, including a season-high five swiped in Game 2. CC now has 20 thefts on the year which is the exact same total they had in 12 games in 2020. Irmen had three steals on the day and leads the team with five.  

MAKING AN OPENING STATEMENT: The 2-run first inning in the second inning continued a trend for the Cobbers. CC has now outscored its opponents 8-3 in the first inning of game. The Cobbers are 2-1 when they score in the first inning

UP NEXT: Concordia will head to Mankato for the second time this season when they participate in the Viking Classic hosted by Bethany Lutheran. CC will play MIAC foe Gustavus and host Finlandia on Wednesday, Mar. 17 and then Finlandia (Mich.) and Bethany Lutheran on Mar. 18.     
  
RECAP SPONSOR: Today's recap sponsor is Great Clips. Great Clips makes getting your hair styled extremely easy in these days. They are a terrific sponsor of Cobber Athletics and they will always make you look awesome.