Game 1 Box
Game 2 Box

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Concordia-St. Paul used a pair of late game rallies to earn a doubleheader sweep over Southwest Minnesota State in NSIC baseball on Tuesday at Barnes Field.
 
CSP (21-11, 14-9 NSIC) scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth to rally for a 3-1 victory in game one, then rallied from a three-run deficit to earn a 4-3 win in game two.
 
The SMSU (6-27, 4-14 NSIC) offense was held in check as CSP pitching limited the Mustangs to just six hits, while recording 22 strikeouts in the two games.
 
In the opener, with one out in the decisive sixth inning, CSP used a single, a walk and a hit by pitch to load the bases off of SMSU starter Cole Petersen. A sac fly by Carter Schmidt tied the game and summoned SMSU reliever Travis McGlauflin into the game. Connor Olson then hit a 2-2 pitch to right field for a two-run single to push across the eventual game winning runs.
 
SMSU, which was held to just three hits, pushed across its lone run on two hits in the fifth inning. CSP starting pitcher Josh Lenz had retired 12 straight SMSU batters, before Cole VanderBeek and Tanner Luebke singled to start the rally. Following a ground out by Kyle Graves, Kody Larson gave SMSU a 1-0 lead with an RBI fielder's choice.
 
Petersen followed with a 1-2-3 bottom of the fifth, but the Golden Bears wouldn't go away and mounted the game-winning rally one inning later.
 
Petersen (2-5) allowed three runs on six hits on 5 2/3 innings, while walking three, hitting one batter and recording one strikeout.
 
SMSU's only other scoring threat came in the top of the first as Jayden Fleck was hit by a pitch and was followed by a Derek Branson single. But a strikeout, pop out and ground out ended the threat.
 
In game two, the Mustang jumped on the board early as Shane Sellner delivered an RBI single to score Fleck.
 
SMSU took advantage on an error and wild pitching by CSP to push the lead to 3-0 in the fourth. Following an error to start the inning, SMSU coaxed three straight walks—the last to Kody Larson—to score the first run of the inning. A double play ground out by Fleck scored Luebke to make the score 3-0. SMSU later loaded the bases on two hit by pitches, but a strikeout ended SMSU's chance to extend the lead.
 
CSP pushed across single runs off of SMSU starter Justin Clark in the fifth and sixth innings, before taking the lead with two runs in the seventh off of SMSU relief pitcher McGlauflin. With two outs and a runner at second, the Golden Bears put together back-to-back doubles to score a pair of runs and take a 4-3 lead.
 
Clark earned a no-decision for SMSU, tossing the first six innings, allowing two runs on six hits with three walks and two strikeouts. McGlauflin (0-2) suffered the loss giving up three hits and two runs.
 
Southwest Minnesota State returns to the diamond this Saturday and Sunday with a four-game series at Wayne State.