Softball suffers set back at Concordia-St. Paul

Sunday, April 18

St. Paul, MN

1 p.m.

St. Cloud State

17-8, 6-5

Concordia University, St. Paul

16-13, 10-5

St. Cloud State

Concordia-St. Paul

Holly Weinberger went 2-3 in game two against Concordia-St. Paul

Photo by: Kylie Macziewski

4/18/2021 6:02:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

ST. PAUL, MINN. - The St. Cloud State University softball team suffered a bit of a setback in its return to competition Sunday afternoon. After earning a key split with No. 18 Minnesota State on Saturday, the Huskies suffered just their second Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) sweep of the 2021 season, as they dropped two games to Concordia-St. Paul Sunday afternoon. Despite two rallies, St. Cloud State fell in game one 6-4 before surrendering a walk off home run in game two to fall by a final score of 5-4.

The Huskies battled in both games against the Golden Bears, scoring a combined eight runs over the course of two games. In fact, in game one of the doubleheader, after falling behind 4-0, St. Cloud State rallied to tie the game in the bottom of the fifth inning after scoring two runs in the top of the fourth to cut the Concordia-St. Paul lead to 4-2. Raven Vanden Langenberg (Seymour, Wis. / Seymour) led off the inning with a single to left field and later scored on a hit by Holly Weinberger (Waconia, Minn. / Waconia) to cut the lead to 4-1. The Huskies then halved the Golden Bears lead on a groundout by Haley McFarlane (Swisher, Iowa / Cedar Rapids Prairie), making it 4-2 with three innings left in the ballgame.

St. Cloud State nearly completed the rally in the next inning, as the team scored two runs on three hits and two Concordia-St. Paul errors to tie the game at 4-4. Sydney Trees (Prior Lake, Minn. / Prior Lake) ignited the rally with a leadoff single and eventually scored on a RBI single from Vanden Langenberg. The Huskies then tied it one batter later, as the Golden Bears committed a throwing error, allowing Alexandra Pinkowski (Prior Lake, Minn. / Prior Lake) to score easily from third to make it 4-4.

Lauren Kirchberg (Columbus, Wis. / Columbus) held the Concordia-St. Paul bats at bay in the bottom of the fifth, giving her team a chance to take a lead in the top of the sixth. The Huskies, though, were held scoreless in the top of the inning while the Golden Bears scored two in the bottom frame, taking a 6-4 lead they would never relinquish. Though St. Cloud State put together a rally in the top of the seventh, as Trees and Brooke Bowlin (Chaska, Minn. / Holy Family) tallied back-to-back singles to put runners on with no outs, the Huskies were unable to score, resulting in the 6-4 game one loss.

Things got off to a much better start in game two, as St. Cloud State jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first, courtesy of another RBI from Vadnen Langenberg. Bowlin singled down the left field line to open the game before Jasmin Estrada (Litchfield, Minn. / Litchfield) reached on an error by the second baseman to put runners at first and second with no outs. Bowlin and Estrada then stole third and second, putting them in prime position for the hot Vanden Langenberg. Though the shortstop didn't tally a hit, she still put the ball in play, allowing both runners to score for the early 2-0 lead.

Unfortunately, Concordia-St. Paul managed to take a lead in the bottom of the second, as a sacrifice bunt and two-run home run resulted in a three Golden Bear runs and a 3-2 lead for the home team. The Huskies, though, were not deterred by Concordia's big second inning, as they went right ahead and regained a 4-3 advantage in the top of the fourth inning. Trees scored the game tying run on a pass ball to make it 3-3 before Bowlin scored on a double by Megan Conrads (Lakeville, Minn. / Lakeville South) to regain a 4-3 lead for St. Cloud State.

That one run lead held to the bottom of the sixth when the Golden Bears tallied their second home run of the day, this one a solo shot over the left field fence, to even the score 4-4. Again, the Huskies looked to regain the lead in the top of the seventh, as Madie Pich (Blaine, Minn. / Spring Lake Park) hit a clutch pinch hit single, advancing Pinkowski to second base to put runners one first and second with one out. The Golden Bears managed to pitch their way out of the jam, though, by getting Trees to ground into a double play, ending St. Cloud State's attempts at scoring the go-ahead run in the seventh.

The Huskies never got a chance to score in extra innings, as the second batter of the bottom of the seventh hit a walk off home run off Trinity Junker (Lindstrom, Minn. / Chisago Lakes), resulting in a 5-4win for Concordia-St. Paul.

Vanden Langeberg was strong at the plate in game one for St. Cloud State, going 2-3 with one run, one RBI and two stolen bases, while Conrads and Weinberger were gold in game two. Both tallied two hits and one RBi in the game, as Conrads went 2-4 with and Weinberger 2-3.

Kirchberg took the loss in game one, as she surrendered six runs, five earned, on 11 hits with two walks and two strikeouts, while Junker suffered the loss in game two.

With the losses, the Huskies overall record now stands at 17-9 and they are 6-6 in NSIC play. St. Cloud State will look to rebound on Wednesday, April 21 when the team faces Minnesota-Crookston at 1 and 3 p.m. in Crookston, Minnesota.