The University of Minnesota Duluth closed out a six-game homestand Monday by splitting a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference doubleheader with Concordia University-St. Paul, using the long ball to thump the Golden Bears 7-4 in the opener before coming up short in a 5-4 setback to close out the afternoon.

UMD (19-10 overall and 3-3 in the NSIC), broke open the first game with a four-run fourth inning. In that inning, the Bulldogs registered what is believed to be a program first -- back-to-back-to-back home runs.  With two outs, freshman shortstop Becky Smith delivered the first blow, a two-run shot,  and was followed by solo homers from senior first baseman Jordan Rice (her seventh of the year which ties her for the UMD lead with Smith) and rookie catcher Alexia Klaas. One inning later, sophomore left fielder Heather Woyak led off by depositing a pitch over the left centerfield fence and Rice added a RBI double in the fifth for her second hit of the game. Smith also had a pair of hits and drove in two runs in support of junior pitcher Cayli Sadler, who allowed just one earned run in seven innings of work and struck out four while improving to 10-6 on the year.

In the rematch, Stephanie Kappes kept UMD off the scoreboard through the first four innings, but the Bulldogs, then down 4-0, got a two-run homer from freshman second baseman Natalie Wright to cut the deficit in half. Concordia-St. Paul (7-20; 1-3) got a run back in the top of the next inning and took a 5-2 lead in the bottom of the seventh. The Bulldogs pieced together four straight singles to bring in one run and then pulled to within 5-4 when Klass reached on a fielder's choice to drive in Wright. UMD had runners at second and third with one out, but Kappes then got both junior third baseman Sami Schynder and Woyak to ground out to end the game. Lead off hitter Hannah Schmoll and Smith each went 3-for-4 in the setback and continue to rank one-two on the UMD batting average charts with .420 and .419 marks, respectively. Sophomore Sam Hartmann took the loss -- just her fourth in 13 decisions this spring -- after giving up three runs, three hits and three walks. She was lifted for rookie Sadie Knudsson after surrendering a lead off homer in the third. UMD wound up outhitting the Golden Bears 12-9.

"In that second game, we let them get ahead right away and we didn't respond with any timely hits," said UMD head coach Jen Banford. "We have to start doing that because we can't live on splits in this league."

The Bulldogs will be at Minnesota State University-Moorhead for another pair of NSIC assignments Tuesday.