Cobbers' Late-Game Rally Falls Just Short Against St. Olaf

MOORHEAD, Minn. (4/28/26)---The "never say die" Cobbers saved their most exciting offensive inning for the final frame in their doubleheader against St. Olaf but it wasn't enough as Concordia lost 8-0 and then 11-9 in the final home games of the 2026 season.

The Cobbers trailed 7-0 in Game 2 before scoring four runs in the third and adding four more in the seventh only to lose by two. CC nearly tied the game in the seventh, but Jocelyn Maki's laser shot to center field with the bases loaded hit the top of the fence and stayed in the park. If Maki's blast was three feet higher, the game would have been tied and would have been headed for extra innings.

Like their twinbill on Saturday, Concordia was unable to get their offensive momentum going in the first game and was shutout. The Cobbers responded by knocking out 12 hits in the nightcap against the third-place Oles. The 12 hits marked the ninth time this season that CC has recorded at least 10 hits in a single game.

Maki, Megan Guggisberg, Lily Heskin and Olivia Olberding all had multiple-hit games in the finale while Maki, Olberding and Reese Hauck had hits in both games.

Game 1: Concordia 0, St. Oalf 8 (5 inn.)
The opener was within two runs for the first four innings until St. Olaf broke the game open with the game-deciding 6-run sixth inning.

Concordia had the bases loaded in the second inning and had runners on first and second with no outs in the fourth but couldn't come up with a clutch hit and were held off the board.

Mallory Leitner got the call to start the game in the circle and went 4.1 innings. Lauren Kohlgraf entered in the fifth and posted the final two outs.

Game 2: Concordia 9, St. Olaf 11     
The Cobbers never led in Game 2 but never let St. Olaf get comfortable with a big lead.

The Oles plated one in the first and six more in the third before Concordia responded with their first of two, 4-run frames.

CC brought home four runs in the third on a Maki sacrifice fly, a single by Hauck and then a double with the bases loaded by Kate Gulbranson.

The Oles appeared to put the game out of reach when they scored three times in the fifth and once more in the sixth to take an 11-4 lead.

Concordia countered with a lone score in the bottom of the sixth and then added huge drama to the game with four runs in the seventh.

Megan Guggisberg's single up the middle scored Olberding and Cate Kehoe to bring the score to 11-7 Morgan Guggisberg then walked to load the bases to set the stage for Maki who ponded a ball over the center fielder's head and crashed into the wall – 3 feet from going over to tie the game.

The 2-run, 2-out, 2-bagger brought the score to 11-9 and put runners on second and third but CC wasn't able to add another run-scoring hit and fell by two.

The quartet of Maki, Megan Guggisberg, Heskin and Olberding combined to account for nine of the team's 12 total hits and went 9-for-14 with four RBI and five runs scored.

Kegen Coulson had success in three of the first four innings and went 6.0 frames. In a fitting ending, senior Leitner finished off the final home game of the year after starting Game 1. She went 1.0 innings and faced the minimum three batters.

Concordia will cap the season when they play at Augsburg on Saturday, May 2.