Gameday Game Recap

MOORHEAD, Minn.-- It was “same old, same old” day at Jake Christiansen Athletic Complex on Saturday. The Red River winds were gusting and the Cobbers split another conference series. With a swirling wind that spent much of the day blowing in from right field, Concordia and St. Olaf split their fourth consecutive regular-season series. The Cobbers, behind the arm of senior pitcher Blake Trenbeath controlled the opener 5-2, while the Oles and senior pitcher Dan O’Malley were good enough in the second game to scratch out a 6-2 victory.

Cobber shortstop Billy DeNet continued to tear the cover off the ball. He had had a pair of multiple-hit games in the series and has now hit safely in 18 of the team's 23 games this season - including a six-game hitting binge. He went 2-for-4 in the opener and backed it up with a 3-for-4 game in the nightcap. He is now hitting a robust .471 in conference play and a team-leading .388 in all games.

The split moves Concordia’s conference record to 4-6 on the year. For the third consecutive series, the Cobbers miss an opportunity to get back to the .500 mark for the season as they stay two games below the break-even mark at 11-13. The Oles see their six-game winning streak come to a halt in the first game and slide back into a tie for first place in the MIAC with St. Thomas as they are now 6-2 in league play and 17-5 overall.

Trenbeath and the top three hitters in the Concordia lineup did all the damage in the first game. Trenbeath pitched seven innings, allowing only four hits and striking out a season-high nine. Offensively, the Cobbers used the 1-2-3 combination of DeNet, Ryan Emter and Chris Klabo to come up with five runs on nine hits. The trio each had two hits in the game and accounted for all three RBI's.

For Trenbeath it was his fourth victory of the season. He is now 4-2 with a 2.52 ERA. St. Olaf starter Eric Tobias, who over the years has been known as a Cobber killer, was saddled with his first loss of the season. He entered the game 4-0 on the year.

The second game was the complete opposite as O'Malley stifled the Concordia bats for the first four innings and allowed his offensive to "nickel and dime" the Cobbers for six runs. Like Concordia in game 1, the Oles collected nine hits in the game with eight different players recording at least one hit. Josh Schultheis was the only St. Olaf player to have a multiple-hit game. The no. 3 hitter in the lineup was 2-for-4 with one run scored.

O'Malley lasted until the seventh inning when Paul Johnson came on in relief to get the final three outs. The Cobbers loaded the bases against Johnson with no outs before he calmly finished the game with a strikeout and a double play. O'Malley earned his fourth win of the year while Johnson collected his second save.