MOORHEAD, Minn. (5/09/10)-- Concordia came back from a 2-0 deficit in the fifth inning of their first game against Bethel to tie the Royals 2-2. Unfortunately the Cobbers saw their MIAC title hopes fade in the eighth inning when they gave up a pair of runs and lost 4-2.

Concordia then showed their mettle by rebounding to win the second game 2-0. The Cobbers finish the regular season 14-6 in league play and 23-15 in all games. CC finishes MIAC play tied for second place in the league standings. They will be the No.2 seed in the upcoming MIAC Tournament and will face St. John's in the opening game of the playoffs on Friday, May 14 at 3 p.m. at Sechler Park in Northfield.

The Cobbers once again received a pair of outstanding pitching performances from their starting pitchers. On Wednesday the CC starters pitched 13 of the 14 innings and only allowed three earned runs and nine hits. On Sunday against the Royals, Concordia starters Chris Fellows and Eddie Massee allowed three earned runs and six hits and struck out nine in 12.0 innings of work.

Fellows pitched the first 7.0 innings in the first game. He gave up just two hits in the first five innings but unfortunately gave up a single run in the second then and then a solo home run in the fifth.

The Cobbers then rallied from 2-0 down by getting a single run in the bottom of the fifth when Jake Krause drove home Adam Johnson on a single to shortstop. CC then tied the game when Johnson lined a two-out single to left field that brought home Michael Carlson.

The two teams played a scoreless seventh inning before the Royals scored the winning runs with some perfectly placed bunts and a seeing-eye single. BU got the leadoff hitter on base with a single. The next two batters reached safely when they tried to put down a sacrifice bunt but instead placed two balls perfectly in the infield for bunt singles.

After a fielder's choice cut the runner at home, John Slick hit a ball the eluded Carlson at third base and Krause at shortstop and scored two runs to give the Royals the 4-2 win.

The subplot of the first game was a base running call and three pickoff plays. Krause led off the game for CC with a double that hit off the right field fence. He was then called out after the base umpire deemed that he failed to touch first base. Bethel starting pitcher Kyle McCracken then picked off a pair of runners in the second inning after Concordia had runners on first and third with only one out. BU reliever Chris Dent then added a third pickoff out when he got the first out of the bottom of the eighth after CC started the inning with a walk.

Concordia outhit Bethel in the first game 9-8. Krause was 2-for-4 and Johnson was 3-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI.

The second game was all Massee. After hitting the very first batter of the game, Massee went on to retire 15 of the final 19 batters he faced. He gave up only one hit and struck out four.

The Cobbers got both of their runs in the third inning. Krause singled to start the inning and then Dan Wackler and Nick Lewis followed with walks to load the bases. CC scored the two runs on a fielder's choice to shortstop and then a balk.

Massee left after the fifth inning and then Zach Frappier came in and picked up his first collegiate save by pitching the final 2.0 innings and retiring six of the seven hitters he faced.

Krause had two of the Cobbers' five hits in the game and finished the day 4-for-8. He also brought his season average to .400 and becomes the answer to a Concordia athletics trivia question. Krause made a tremendous diving catch to end the game in the seventh and becomes the final player to make an out on the grass field at Jake Christiansen Athletic Complex.

Concordia will have five days to prepare for the MIAC playoffs. The Cobbers will be making their fifth appearance, and first since 2005, in the league postseason tournament. Concordia is 2-8 in their previous four MIAC playoff appearances. CC will play No.3-seeded St. John's on Friday, May 14 at 3:30 p.m. at Sechler Park in Northfield.