2 Out Of 3 To Finish Florida

AUBURNDALE, Fla. (3/09/23)---Concordia lived by the old adage on their annual spring trip to Florida, "it's not how you start the race, it's how you finish."

After dropping their first seven games in the sunshine, Concordia won two of the final three – which included a split on the final day on Thursday.

Concordia opened the day by beating Mount Mary 12-3 in 5 innings. CC finished off their trip by falling 9-4 to Wentworth in a game where the Cobbers held a 4-0 lead after three innings of play.

CC finishes its Florida stretch with a 2-8 record. CC is now 4-10 overall.

The middle of the batting order drove the ship in the Cobbers' 8-run-rule win over Mount Mary. Kate Wensloff and Molly Wilde had two hits each from the No.3 and No.4 spots, while Karissa Finnigan and Kate Gulbranson put up a pair of RBI each in the No.5 and No.6 spots. Finnigan also had two hits for the game.

The four players went 7-for-12 with 6 RBI. The No.7 and No.8 hitters were no slouches either as they were a combined 5-for-6 with 2 RBI and 3 RS. Reese Hauck was 3-for-3, while Emma Bowman went 2-for-3 with 2 RBI.  

Concordia outhit Immaculate 14-4 in the opener.

The biggest hit of the opener came in the 8-run, fourth inning when Gulbranson pounded out her first collegiate home run. Concordia scored all eight runs with two outs in the decisive inning. Gulbranson's long ball brought home Finnigan who had singled home Wilde.     

Starting pitcher Mallory Leitner was the beneficiary of the Cobbers' offensive explosion. She pitched all 5.0 innings, allowed 4 hits and struck out 3.

It looked like the Cobbers would carry over their high-octane offensive in the second game against Wentworth when they scored four times in the top of the second to take a 4-0 lead.

CC scored the four runs on only two hits and were aided by three Wentworth defensive miscues.

Hauck led off the inning with a single, and Finnigan came through with the other hit – a running-scoring single.

Unfortunately for CC, the well went dry after the second. Concordia had only on more hit in the final five innings of play. Wentworth won the game with a pair of 4-run innings in the fifth and sixth frames.

Finnigan, Haleigh Lematta and Lauren Staples all saw action in the circle. Finnigan started the game and went 4.1 innings. Lematt went into the sixth, and then Staples recorded the final two outs.

UP NEXT: The Cobbers will return to Minnesota and have a 2-week break. The Cobbers are scheduled to play at Minn.-Morris on Saturday, Mar. 25 1 p.m.