ST. PAUL, MN – Looking to continue their playoff push after a strong home stand, the University of Mary softball team suffered a pair of difficult road losses against Concordia-St. Paul, including a 7-6 extra inning loss to open the day. In game two, the Golden Bears scored all their runs in the third inning of a 5-1 win over the Marauders.
 
The Marauders entered the day with six wins in their last eight games, all at home.
 
Despite a pair of losses to the ninth-ranked team in the region to open the final weekend of the regular season, UMary remains in a 3-team race for postseason play. The Wayne State College Wildcats are 9-14 (a game vs. Minnesota Duluth is still in progress) for a .391 winning percentage in NSIC play and holds the tenth slot. The Marauders and Southwest Minnesota State University are both 8-14 (.364). UMary visits regionally-ranked Minnesota State University on Sunday, April 29. The Wildcats visit 5^th place St. Cloud State. The Mustangs visit last-place Minnesota Crookston.  
 
GAME 1 Concordia-St. Paul 7 University of Mary 6 (9 innings)
In a game of momentum, the Golden Bears owned the opening and closing innings with the Marauders taking the middle in a 7-6 nine-inning CSP win. After the Golden Bear scored four unearned runs in the first three innings of the game, the Marauder rallied with two runs in the fourth and four in the fifth, capped by a 3-run Emma Noble home run for a 6-4 UMary lead. Concordia managed to knot the game with two runs in the seventh before winning the game with three singles in the ninth.
 
PIVOT POINT
Trailing 6-4 in the seventh, the Golden Bears tied the game on a one-out run-scoring double before a wild pitch tied the game.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Brieann Backes allowed two earned runs (four unearned) in 6.1 innings. She allowed six hits and five walks.
 
Emma Noble was 2-for-4 with her team-leading 8th home runs, two runs scored and three RBIs.
 
Paige Matsuki had two hits, scored a run and drove in one.
 
Rebekkah Keller was 3-for-5.
 
Carlie Hart had three hits and two runs scored for CSP.
 
STAT OF THE GAME
The Marauders allowed four unearned runs in the game… UMary held a 12-9 edge in hits but walked eight Golden Bears. CSP pitchers walked just one UMary hitter.  
 
GAME 2 CSP 5 UMary 1
A two-out defensive miscue by the Marauders led to five unearned runs in the inning for the Golden Bears. UMary scored first and had a pair of hits in each of the first two innings but managed just two more hits the remaining five innings of the 5-1 loss.
 
PIVOT POINT
With a runner on second and two outs in the bottom of the third, a Marauders error allowed the tying run to score and opened the door to four more runs in the inning, all unearned. The next six hitters reached on a combined four walks and two hits to put the game out of reach for UMary.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Sarah Thomson and Madison Jahner combined to allow six hits, five walks and no earned runs in six innings for UMary.
 
Matsuki was 2-for-3 for the Marauders.
 
An Emma Noble sacrifice fly scored Kasidy Chileen with the only Marauders run of the game.  
 
STAT OF THE GAME
On the day, nine of the 12 runs scored by the Golden Bears in the two games were unearned.
 
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