The University of Minnesota Duluth took a tip to the Twin Cities for a mid-week doubleheader with the Concordia St. Paul Golden Bears this afternoon, taking the victory in both games on the road at Barnes Field.

Game One: UMD (8) - CSP (2)

The Bulldogs got out to an explosive start to game one, putting up the first points of the game on a two run home run from Gabe Richardson in the top of the second.

UMD would add another two runs to the board, one on an RBI base hit from Troy Lynch in the third and another on an RBI double from Joey Flom in the fourth, before the Golden Bears would get a chance to respond.

CSP would finally get on the board in the bottom of the forth, tallying their first run on an RBI base hit of their own. However, that would not go unanswered as Kade Peloquin got in on the home run action with a two run blast in the fifth.

Concordia collected their second run in the bottom of the sixth after an error allowed runners to advance around, but the Bulldogs returned the favor yet again by adding two runs on a sacrifice bunt from Richardson and base hit from Peloquin to go up 8-2 in the top of the seventh.

The Golden Bears were unable to chip away at the lead in the bottom of the inning, securing the win for the Bulldogs in the opening contest.

Game Two: UMD (27) - CSP (22)

A three run homer run from Lynch in the top of the first helpedthe Bulldogs collect a four run effort to start off game two. Though it was quickly matched by a trio of RBI base hits from the Golden Bears in the bottom, bringing the game to a 4-4 tie by the end of the opening frame.

The Bulldogs continued their momentum into the top of the second as an RBI base hit from Lynch and a bases loaded walk tallied another two runs before Peloquin launched a grand slam over the left field wall, shooting UMD ahead 10-4 after two.

A scoreless third inning on both sides provided a break in the action before Lynch started things back up in the fourth, knocking a solo bomb for his second home run of the game. A throwing error from the side of CSP also allowed for another run to come across the board, making it an eight run advantage for UMD.

The Golden Bears did close the gap five runs in the bottom of the inning though, cashing in on another trio of RBI singles and a bases loaded grounder.

The Bulldogs tallied another four runs in the fifth inning with an RBI double from Lynch and a three run home run from Garrett Stauffacher. Though CSP returned the favor with a three run homer in the bottom, pushing the scoreline to 16-12

An RBI base hit from Nathan Rosenberg set up Lynch for a three run homer run and his third home run of the game in the sixth inning. The Golden Bears continued to fight back with a pair of runs on a base hit and a sacrifice grounder in the bottom of the inning, and a two run home run in the bottom of the seventh.

A two RBI single from Stauffacher in the top of the eighth kept the Bulldogs in front as CSP added another three runs to their total, making it a 22-20 game heading in the ninth.

Sam Kliber, Flom, Rosenberg, and Stauffacher each tallied an RBI in the top of the ninth, pushing the UMD to seven heading into the final half inning. A two run home run for CSP would be all the points they could muster, securing the 27-22 win and doubleheader sweep for the Bulldogs.

Bulldog Notes vs. CSP

With his three home run performance in game two, Troy Lynch has tied a pair of program records for most home runs in a single game (3) and most runs batted in throughout a single game (9). He joins the likes of former Bulldog players Anders Engberg, Alex Wojciechowski, and Jimmy Heck who currently hold the records.

Looking Ahead

Bulldog baseball (23-24, 19-18 NSIC) head to North Dakota this weekend to close out their 2024 NSIC regular season schedule with a three game series against the University of Mary Marauders. First pitch against the Marauders is currently set for Friday, May 2, at 1:30 PM.