Game 1 Box
Game 2 Box

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Concordia-St. Paul used big scoring innings in both games and seven total NSU errors on Sunday to hand the visiting Northern State University Wolves a pair of losses, shutting out the Wolves 7-0 in Game 1 and rallying for a 9-5 victory in Game 2 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play.

With the losses, the Wolves slipped to 11-21 overall and 9-15 in league play.  Concordia used the wins to move to 17-12 on the season and 11-9 in NSIC action.

CSP starting pitcher Chris Peterson stifled the Wolves from the start, scattering four hits and two walks over his seven innings of work.  NSU had at least one baserunner in all but the fourth and seventh innings, but stranded all six as Peterson worked his way around all six threats.

The Golden Bears bolted out to a 3-0 lead after the first inning and never looked back, pounding out 11 hits and taking advantage of four NSU errors to add four more runs through the duration.  Center fielder Kris Long provided the bulk of the CU spark, going 3-for-3 from the plate and scoring twice.

NSU's Trent Bestland took the loss, allowing five earned runs in his six full innings of work, walking two and striking out three.

Game 2 started off quietly, but built to a big finish in the late innings.  CSP watched the Wolves erase a 4-2 deficit with a three-run seventh inning that put NSU on top 5-4.  Michael Cross and Jack Thompson led off the stanza with back-to-back singles.  A ground-out later, Max Myers and Zach Miller laced back-to-back doubles to the gaps to give the Wolves the lead.  Those hits chased CSP starter Andy Fagely off the mound in favor of reliever Nick Anderson, who ended the NSU run with a pair of strikeouts.

Not to be outdone, the Golden Bears put up a four-spot in their half of the seventh before reliever Sean Winslow came on to end the threat.  CSP tacked on an extra run in the eighth, while Anderson worked around an eight-inning error and a ninth-inning single from Miller to preserve the win.

NSU senior Lucas Jung was tagged with the loss for the Wolves, lasting six innings and giving up seven runs (six earned) on eight hits and a walk before being lifted in the seventh.

The Wolves return home to close out the regular season next weekend.  NSU is scheduled to host Upper Iowa in a four-game series on Saturday and Sunday.  First pitch is slated for noon both days.