Long Balls By Wilde & Gulbranson Not Enough In St. Paul

ST. PAUL, Minn. (4/23/23)---Home runs by Molly Wilde and Kate Gulbranson weren't enough as Concordia dropped a pair of close games in St. Paul against St. Catherine.

The Cobbers lost 14-13 in a wild Game 1 and then fell 4-2 in the second game of the doubleheader. The 27 combined runs scored in the opener are the most in a single game this year for CC and the most since the Cobber and Dragons combined for 29 runs in the first game of their DH on Mar. 25, 2021.

Concordia (5-23, 1-11 MIAC) pounded out 17 hits in the first game to go along with their 13 runs. The 17 hits and 13 runs are both season highs for the Cobbers. CC scored multiple runs in five of the seven innings in the opener and had at least one hit in six of the seven.

The Cobbers took a 3-0 lead in the very first inning, then fell behind 7-4 after five frames. Both teams scored four runs in the fifth and two in the sixth to bring the score to 13-11 in favor of the Wildcats.

Concordia tied the game in the top of the seventh on Gulbranson's 2-run long ball with one out in the inning. Wilde posted a single and gave way to a pinch runner. Gulbranson then hammered a pitch over the fence for her second career dinger.

St. Catherine (16-14, 10-4 MIAC) won the game in the bottom when they came up with three straight singles with one out in the inning.

Wilde, Karissa Finnigan and Kailee Falconer combined for nine of the team's 17 hits, as each player recorded three base knocks. Wilde was 3-for-5 with three RBI. She connected on her team-leading fifth home run in the 3-run first frame when she accounted for all CC's runs with a 3-run shot.

Finnigan was 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored, while Falconer was 3-for-4 with three runs scored and an RBI.

Hailey Pangracs, Drew Syverson and Emma Bowman all had 2-hit games. Pangracs came up with her third double of the year.

Finnigan pitched the first 4.1 innings and was relieved by Lauren Staples. Staples pitched in the fifth and sixth innings and then gave way to Mallory Leitner who pitched the seventh inning.           
       
The second game was a pitcher's duel compared to the opener as the teams only produced six runs and 16 hits.

Both teams came up with eight hits in Game 2 and produced runs in four of the 13 half innings.

The Cobbers got single runs in the second and fourth innings. St. Kate's took a 2-0 lead with a pair of runs in the first and then won the game with two runs in the bottom of the fifth.

Landry Maragos had the only multi-hit game for Concordia in the nightcap. She was 2-for-3 with a run scored. She also had the only extra-base hit for CC when she connected on a triple in the fourth inning.

Leitner went the distance in the circle. She allowed three earned runs and scattered eight hits while striking a trio of batters.

WILDE ABOUT THE LONG BALL: Wilde is now tied for the MIAC in home runs. She has five on the season, which is deadlocked with two other players. Wilde's five long balls are two shy of tying the school record of home runs in a single season. Sydney Roberts had seven HRs in 2016.      

UP NEXT: Concordia will host its home opener when it faces Macalester on Monday, Apr. 24 at 4 p.m. The games are schedule to be played on the softball field but wet weather could force the game to be played on the turf inside Jake Christiansen Stadium.