The University of Minnesota Duluth softball team continued its road trip today with a doubleheader against Concordia-St. Paul. The Bulldogs were held scoreless in the first game, 4-0, and held the lead for six and a half innings in the second game before ultimately falling 9-8.

Game 1:
UMD would load the bases in the top of the first inning thanks to three walks from Taylor Koehnen, Jordyn Thomas, and Jessica Bren, but would come out of the inning scoreless. Concordia-St. Paul would get a three-run homerun in the bottom of the inning to take the early lead. They would end the inning with three runs on three hits and a 3-0 lead.

Kelly Swank would get the Bulldogs' first hit of the game in the top of the second, a triple down the right field line. UMD would not be able to convert the hit into a run, though, and they would leave the inning with one hit and no runs. Pitcher Sam Pederson would save the inning for the Bulldogs, though, and strike out CSP's batters.

The Golden Bears would turn around and do the same to UMD, however, and strike out the last two Bulldog batters in the third for another scoreless and hitless inning. After stealing both second and third, CSP's Heislen would score the fourth run of the game for the Golden Bears off a sac fly RBI.

The Bulldogs would get their second hit of the game in the fourth inning, a single to first base from Julia Gronholz. That's all they would get in the inning, though, as UMD's next two batters would strike out looking and then ground out to end the inning. The Bulldogs would get two errors in the bottom of the fourth inning but neither team would score, sending the game to the top of the fifth inning with CSP ahead 4-0.

UMD's batting woes would continue into the fifth inning, with three Bulldogs striking out in order. Pederson would do her best to keep the game close, though, holding CSP to only one hit in the bottom of the fifth.

With two outs in the top of the sixth inning, Kiana Bender would smash in UMD's third hit of the game -- a single to center field. However, Julia Gronholz would ground out to third base in the next at-bat and UMD would head to the outfield. Two ground outs, a single to left field, and another ground out later, the inning would end with CSP up 4-0 on the Bulldogs. 

UMD's strikeout issues would follow them into the seventh inning, and all three batters for the Bulldogs would strike out looking or ground out. The Bulldogs would get three hits in the game, but the team couldn't build the momentum needed to string together any runs to take down the Golden Bears. UMD would drop the first game of the day with a final score of 4-0.

Game 2:
Whatever curse was on the Bulldogs' bats in the first game seemed to be lifted in the first at-bat of Game 2, when Lauren Oberle homered to right field to fire up the Bulldogs' engines. Taylor Koehnen then immediately singled to center field before Jordyn Thomas reached on a fielder's choice. Jessica Bren doubled to center field, which would allow Jordyn Thomas to advance to third. Kiana Bender reached on a fielder's choice, Jessica Bren advanced to third, and Thomas was ruled out at home. Bender would then steal second, which would put her in a position to score, along with Jessica Bren, when Emma Frost singled to left field for the RBI double. UMD would see a total of three runs on four hits in the first inning. All three of CSP's batters that inning would get out on the arm of Lauren Dixon, who got the nod to start the second game today.

Unfortunately the Bulldog bats would once again run dry in the second inning, with three quick outs after Sidney Zavoral grounded out to second base, Kelly Swank popped up to third base, and Lauren Oberle struck out looking. Pitcher Lauren Dixon would ensure the same results for CSP -- a ground out to third base and two batters striking out swinging would end the inning with the Bulldogs up 3-0.

It would be a new inning but the same story for the Bulldogs, who would not be able to string together the hits they had in the first inning. Taylor Koehnen would strike out swinging, Jordyn Thomas lined out to second base, and Jessica Bren popped out to second base to end the inning. CSP would get three hits -- a single to the left side, a single down the right field line, and a single, bunt -- but would not be able to convert any of these hits into runs. UMD would stay in the lead, 3-0.

The bats came back alive for the Bulldogs in the fourth inning. Emma Frost singled to third base before Julia Gronholz doubled to right field, also allowing Frost to advance to third. The Bulldogs would get back on the scoresheet thanks to a single to second base from Kelly Swank that sent both Gronholz and Frost past home. The Bulldogs would close out the inning with two runs and four hits, pushing their lead to 5-0.

CSP would cut into this lead in the bottom of the fourth inning, though, scoring three runs on four hits over the course of the inning to shrink the Bulldogs' lead to 5-3.

The lead wouldn't stay this narrow for long -- in the first at-bat of the fifth inning, Jordyn Thomas would punch in a solo homerun to again put the Bulldogs up by three runs, 6-3. Later in the inning Julia Gronholz would get a sac fly out to center field for the RBI that allowed Jessica Bren to score. On the very next at-bat, sensing the momentum shift firmly in the Bulldogs' favor at this point, Sidney Zavoral singled to left center for the RBI that allowed her to advance to second base on the throw and sent Paige Meyer -- pinch running for Emma Frost -- past home, to make the score 8-3 in favor of UMD.

However, a total of three unearned runs in the bottom of the fifth inning for CSP would again make it a tight game, with the Bulldogs up 8-6 heading into the sixth after Corrie Weise came in to pitch for Lauren Dixon. 

After a chaotic fifth inning, the sixth would be comparatively calm for UMD, with Lauren Oberle grounding out to third base, Taylor Koehnen lining out to left field, and Jordyn Thomas striking out swinging. The Golden Bears, too, would be unable to put anything together in the sixth inning thanks to Corrie Weise, with two ground outs and a fly out to end the inning 8-6 in favor of the Bulldogs.

In the top of the seventh, a determined Jessica Bren stepped up to the plate and promptly singled to right center, then advanced to second after Kiana Bender singled to left field. The Bulldogs would get these two hits, but no runs in the inning to head to the bottom of the seventh holding a two-run lead.

Unfortunately, two runs was all CSP needed, and a two-run homerun in the bottom of the seventh would tie the game up at 8 apiece. The Golden Bears would then get the go-ahead run they needed, scoring an RBI single to take the lead for the first time in the game for the 9-8 win. Freshman pitcher Corrie Weise would take the loss.

UMD now holds a 20-8 overall record this season and a 10-4 record in the NSIC. The Bulldogs will be back in action tomorrow, heading to Mankato to take on Minnesota State. First pitch of the doubleheader will be at 1:00pm. For the full season schedule, click here.