Cobbers Celebrate Seniors On Final Day Of 2022

MOORHEAD, Minn. (5/04/22)--- Concordia dropped a pair of 1-run decisions on their annual Senior Celebration Day. The Cobbers fell to St. Scholastica 6-5 in eight innings in the opener, and then lost 4-3 in Game 2.

Concordia took in early lead in Game 1, got behind in the fourth and never found the lead for the rest of the day as they had their 5-game win streak come to an end.

The two losses end push the Cobbers' final season overall record to 12-20. CC places ninth in the final MIAC standings at 6-12. The Saints end 2022 with a 15-21 record in all games and a 7-15 conference record.

The most appropriate aspect of Senior Day came in the second game where Megan Gavin capped her storied Cobber career by striking out 16 batters. The 16 Ks is the second highest total of the season for Gavin and she ends her career in maroon and gold with 715 strikeouts. She is only the second pitcher in MIAC history to reach the 700-strikeout milestone.

The 16 strikeouts also push her season total to 212, marking the second straight season she has surpassed the 200-K plateau.

Concordia took its only lead of the day when they scored the first two runs of the opener in the second inning. Landry Maragos led off the inning with a home run to right-center field and then a Valerie Kolstad single through the right side of the infield brought home Drew Syverson.

St. Scholastica took a 5-2 lead with a single run in the third and 2-run innings in the fourth and fifth frames. The Cobbers forced extra innings when they plated three runs in the bottom of the seventh. Caitlin Culleton started the rally with a 1-out double. Molly Wilde followed with a single and then Kate Wensloff scored Culleton with a double to left field. A trio of walks followed and CC tied the game at 5-5. Syverson and Danielle Lyon had the RBI free passes for CC.

The Saints won the game in the eighth with a 2-out single to center field.

Concordia had 12 hits in the opener. Kenzie Leither, Culleton and Wilde – the Top 3 in the CC order – all had two hits each. Emma Bowman had the other multiple-hit game for the Cobbers.

Karissa Finnigan started the game in the circle for CC and went 5.1 innings. She gave up four earned runs and struck out three. Vanessa Ramos went the final 2.2 innings and allowed one run on three hits.

The second game was highlighted by the teams trading 2-run innings in the third, fourth and fifth innings. CSS struck first with two in the third. Concordia struck back with two in the fourth. They posted three of their nine hits in the inning, and tied the game on an infield hit from Lyon.    

The Cobbers cut the Saints' lead to 4-3 in the bottom of the fifth. Lexi Burke scored the run after she pinch ran for Ellie Tofteland who led off the inning with a walk.

The Cobbers had the bases loaded with two outs in the sixth but couldn't come up with the clutch hit to tie the game.

Leither and Culleton both went 2-for-4 to post their second straight multi-hit game. Maragos was 2-for-3 as the three players accounted for six of the team's nine hits.

Gavin fanned 16, didn't walk a batter and allowed four runs in the final start of her career.