Game 1 Box
Game 2 Box
ABERDEEN, S.D. – The Concordia University-St. Paul Golden Bears took advantage of three Northern State University errors and a Tiffani Rodd home run in the first inning of Game 1 to put up five opening runs on the board, then reverted to small ball tactics in the nightcap to complete a two-game sweep of the Wolves by final scores of 10-0 (five innings) and 3-0 in Sunday's Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference doubleheader.
With the losses, the Wolves dropped to 6-30 overall and 2-18 in league play, while the streaking Golden Bears claimed their 13th straight victory and improved to 28-8 on the season and 16-2 in conference games.
CU – who scored at least one run in every offensive inning – took advantage of three straight NSU errors in the bottom of the first inning of the opener, two of which resulted in an extra base following a base hit. The Wolves then settled down defensively, but not before Rodd's three-run round-tripper capped a five-run inning for the Golden Bears.
The Wolves, meanwhile, struggled at the plate, getting just one hit and two walks in the game, but leaving all runners stranded. NSU's biggest scoring threat came in the second inning after junior Kelley Suggs poked a one-out single down the left field line. Suggs, however, was erased at second on a Cat Zimmerman fielder's choice. Zimmerman then moved around to third on back-to-back wild pitches, but CU hurler Ashley Kluever preserved the shutout with one of her two strikeouts on the day.
Game two saw the Golden Bears use the small ball two score one run in three different innings. CU worked to string together three straight singles in the second inning and used a fielder's choice to score their first run. The Golden Bears also got a two-out RBI single from Abby Brundidge in the fifth, then used two sacrifice bunts sandwiched around a stolen base to score their third and final run in the sixth inning.
CU pitcher Stephanie Schmikla picked up where Kluever left off in Game 1, allowing just two hits and a pair of walks while working around two defensive errors to earn the victory.
NSU lefthander Suggs went the distance for the Wolves, allowing just the three runs on seven hits while striking out two.
The Wolves remain on the road on Monday to face St. Cloud State in another NSIC doubleheader. First pitch is slated for noon at SCSU's Selke Field.
