A Pair Of Splits To Start The Season

MANKATO, Minn. (2/19/23)---Concordia opened its 2023 season by posting a pair of splits at the Bethany Lutheran Invitational held at the Mankato Dome.

The Cobbers kicked off the campaign on Saturday by dropping a 5-4 decision in the bottom of the 7th inning against Bethany Lutheran. They responded in Game 2 by cruising past Martin Luther 8-0 in 5 innings. Concordia played through the same story line on Sunday when they fell in the opener against Neb. Wesleyan, but then came through with a win in a 1-0 pitcher's duel against Dubuque.       

The two Cobber wins came courtesy of shutouts from pitchers Lauren Staples and Karissa Finnigan. Staples went 5.0 innings against Martin Luther and only allowed two hits, while Finnigan went 6.2 innings vs. Dubuque and scattered nine hits to record her fourth career win. Staples came on in the bottom of the 7th frame to get the final out and record her first collegiate save.

Senior Kate Wensloff and sophomore Danielle Lyon led the Cobber offense over the two days. The two players played in all four games and combined for 10 of the team's 26 hits. Wensloff had a team-high .556 batting average, a .667 on-base percentage and had two multiple-hit games over the two days.  Lyon had a hit in all four games, hit .500 and had one of the team's four extra-base hits on the weekend.

Game 1: Concordia 4, Bethany Lutheran 5
The Cobbers' opener was decided in the final three innings of play. After the teams went scoreless through the first 4.5 innings of play, the Vikings plated four in the bottom of the fifth to grab a 4-0 lead. Concordia rallied to score four times in the top of the seventh. CC was able to score the final two runs in the rally with two outs in the frame.

Emma Redlin led off the inning with a single, and then jogged home when Molly Wilde connected on the team's first home run of the year. Freshman Kailee Falconer tripled with one out, and came home on Wensloff's 2-out single. Hailey Pangracs pinch ran for Wensloff and scored on a base hit off the bat of Lyon.

Unfortunately for the Cobbers the momentum would be short-lived as Bethany Lutheran won the game on two straight hits and then a error.

Wensloff and Lyon both had 2-hit games. Wensloff was 2-for-2 with two walks, while Lyon went 2-for-4 with the game-tying RBI.

Finnigan pitched the 6.0 innings and allowed five runs and struck out seven.

Game 2: Concordia 8, Martin Luther 0 (5 inn.)
The Cobbers saved the late-dramatics for the fifth inning in their 8-0 victory over Martin Luther. Like the first game, neither team scored in the first four frames. CC was able to bust open the deadlock with eight runs on eight hits in the top of the fifth inning.

The biggest hit of the fifth came from freshman Kate Gulbranson who scored two runs with a 1-out single up the middle.

Concordia outhit Martin Luther 11-2 in the game. All 11 base knocks for CC were singles.

Staples only allowed the two hits and walked only one in her collegiate debut. She didn't allow an extra-base hit and at one point retired eight Martin Luther batters in a row.

Game 3: Concordia 3, Neb. Wesleyan 16
Game 3 belonged to the Prairie Wolves who scored 13 runs in the first three innings and finished the game off in five innings.

The Cobbers got their three runs on three 1-run innings. Landry Maragos scored with two outs in the first inning after she pinch ran for Wensloff who led off the inning with a walk. Concordia's second run came in the third inning when Drew Syverson opened the frame by getting on board on an error by the NWU third baseman. Sophomore Lexi Burke pinch ran for Syverson and scored on a 2-out wild pitch.

The final run for CC came after sophomore Emma Bowman doubled and stole third. Fellow sophomore Gabriella Castro brought Bowman home with a sacrifice fly to right field.

Concordia had four different players get the team's four hits in the opener on Sunday. Besides Bowman, Lyon and Falconer had singles and Marissa Piasecki collected his first college hit with a single in the third inning.

CC used five different pitchers in the game with Haleigh Lematta, Mallory Leitner, Kayley Bosc and Piasecki all stepping into the circle for the first time in their college careers.

Game 4: Concordia 1, Univ. of Dubuque 0
The story of the fourth game was Finnigan carefully working her way through 6.2 scoreless inning while allowing nine hits and three walks. Finnigan held Dubuque to a .133 average (2-for-15) with runners in scoring position and a .143 mark (1-for-7) with two outs in the frame. Dubuque finished the game by by leaving 11 runners on base.

The lone run in the game came in the top of the seventh on two of the Cobbers' four hits in the game. Lyon laced a 1-out double, and then pinch runner Landry Maragos scored on the very next at-bat when Wilde posted the second straight 2-bagger.

UP NEXT: Concordia will have a 2-week break before returning to action on the annual spring break trip to Florida. The Cobbers will play 10 games in the Winter Haven area, and ironically start the stretch by playing Dubuque on Saturday, Mar. 4.