Gameday Recap

MOORHEAD, Minn. (4/28/07)--There were two huge sighs of relief on Saturday. The first came when the Concordia players were finally done with the academic school year. The second came from the Cobber coaching staff after CC pounded out 25 runs and 23 hits in a 11-8, 14-7 sweep over Carleton on Monday. The two wins helped Concordia extend their winning streak to 17 games over the Knights. Carleton hasn't beaten the Cobbers since the 1999 season.

The 25 runs and 23 hits is a season-high for the Cobbers in a conference doubleheader. It is also the most runs scored in an MIAC series since the 2004 campaign when they scored 36 runs in a sweep over Augsburg. The two wins also help the Cobbers move to 5-9 in league play and 9-19 overall. Carleton loses for the sixth consecutive time and falls to 3-11 in the conference and 11-16 overall.

Kyle Johnson, Brian Knoblauch and Ryan Emter all led by example for Concordia. All three clouted home runs and all three had at least three hits and five RBI's. Johnson went 5-for-7 with seven RBI's. Knoblauch chipped in a 4-for-6 afternoon with five RBI's, while Emter finished by driving in five runs and going 3-for-7 at the plate.

Concordia used a new-found power game to down the Knights in both games. The Cobbers hammered out 12 extra base hits in the series that included eight doubles, one triple and three home runs. CC entered the game with only seven round trippers in their first 26 games of the year.

The CC offense took center stage from the first inning of the first game. After the Cobbers spotted Carleton a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning, Concordia countered with four in the bottom of the inning. The Knights eventually tied the opener at 5-5 in the top of the fourth inning but then CC exploded for six runs in the next three innings to grab control of the game. The biggest blow in the opener came from Knoblauch who hit a two-run home run in the sixth inning to extend the Cobbers lead from 9-8 to three runs at 11-8. Knoblauch finished the first game by going 3-for-3 with three RBI's and two runs scored. 

He was part of a Cobber hit crew that knocked out 12 hits and had four different players amass multiple-hit games.

Darrin Carlson picked up the win in the opener for Concordia. He came on in relief of starter Scott Schumacher and pitched 3.1 innings and did not allow an earned run in picking up his first collegiate victory. Carlson also lowered his team-leading ERA to under 3.00 for the first time all season. He has a 2.66 ERA in overall games and a miniscule 0.68 ERA in 13.1 innings of work in conference play.

The second game was equal part Concordia offense and ineffective Knight defense. The Cobbers came up with 11 more hits and were aided by seven Carleton errors. CC broke out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning before the Knights tallied three of their own in the top of the second. CC retook the lead with one run in the bottom of the inning and then four more in the third inning. The Knights refused to go gently into the bright blue Moorhead skies. They were able to post three runs in the top of the fifth inning on a three-run blast by pitcher Doug Sylvester.

Concordia was finally able to put the game out of reach in the bottom of the fifth inning when they scored six times with two outs in the frame. The big shot in the inning was a Knoblauch triple to center field.

Cobber starting pitcher Kevin Engebretson was buoyed by an offense that gave him eight runs before he was lifted in the sixth inning. Engebretson allowed six hits and six earned runs to earn his third win of the year. Matt Venturini finished off the game by hurling 1.1 innings of scoreless ball. He has not allowed a run in his seven innings of work in conference play this season.

Concordia will finish off the season by hosting Macalester on Monday, Apr. 30 at 2:30 p.m. They will then hit the road for series against St. Mary's on Wednesday, May 2 and Hamline on Saturday, May 5.