Gameday Recap

NORTHFIELD, Minn. (4/05/08)--Concordia was a ringing endorsement for the Johnson & Johnson company on Saturday as they rode the arm of Adam Johnson and the bat of Kyle Johnson to a 5-3, 12-2 sweep over Carleton in Northfield. The series was the conference opener for both teams.

Concordia has now won seven straight and are 9-4 overall. The seven-game winning streak is the longest since the 2004 season when the Cobbers won 12 straight in the middle of the season. The twin wins to start the MIAC season marks the first time since 2003 when they won their first three league games.

Adam Johnson started the first game for the Cobbers and proved that his dominating win over the University of Mary on Mar. 26 was no fluke. Adam Johnson pitched the first six innings and did not allow an earned run in the game. He conceded only two hits and struck out five in recording his second victory of the year. Kyle Johnson did that performance one better as he went 6-for-7 in the two games and drove in six runs. He upped his team-leading batting average to .455.

The first game was the closest of the two. The Cobbers jumped on the board early by scoring a single run in two of the first three innings. In the first, Michael Carlson lead off the game with a single and then stole second. He came around to score when Jake Krause grounded out to third base. The run in the third came courtesy of walk to Matt Youngquist and Kyle Johnson's first RBI of the doubleheader.

Concordia then added a single run in the fifth inning and two more in the top of the seventh. All the while, Adam Johnson was holding the Carleton offense in check. In the first five innings of the game, he only allowed only one runner to reach second base and at one point retired nine straight hitters.

The Cobbers took a 5-0 lead into the bottom of the seventh inning before Carleton (5-11/0-2 MIAC) scored three runs off of the Cobber bullpen. Freshman Randy Syrstad finished off the game by setting down three of the final four batters he faced.

Seven different Cobbers had at least one hit in the game. Scott Schumacher went 1-for-4 and extended his hitting streak to five games. Kyle Johnson finished the opener 2-for-3 with three RBI's.

The second game was all Concordia. The Cobbers scored two runs in each of the first two innings and then added three runs in each of the third and fourth innings to cruise to a 10-2 lead after four innings. Overall, the Cobbers knocked out 11 hits in the game and had three players with at least two hits in the game. The CC offense was led by Kyle Johnson who went 4-for-4, scored three runs and drove in three runs. He also had a pair of doubles in the second game. Johnson has now hit safely in seven straight games. Carlson went 2-for-4 from the leadoff spot and has now fashioned a six-game hitting streak. Youngquist was the other CC player who posted a multiple-hit game. He went 2-for-3,l scored two runs and drove in three runs. He also had two doubles in the game.

Schumacher started the game for CC and went five innings. He allowed seven hits nut only two earned runs in earning his team-leading third win of the year. Nick Petro came on in relief and finished the game by not allowing a hit and striking out two in two innings of work.

Concordia is now scheduled to host No.18-ranked, and defending MIAC champion, St. Thomas on Tuesday, Apr. 8 at 1 p.m.