IRVINE, Calif. – In their first two games just hours after being named the top-ranked team in all of NCAA DII, the Concordia Eagles outlasted the visiting Hawaii Pacific Sharks in a pair of pitcher's duels.

Concordia scraped together a 1-0 victory on a squeeze play in their third game of the season that went 10 innings. Then in the nightcap, the Green and Gold prevailed 4-1 thanks to another superb outing in the circle by Katlin Entrup and a big blast by first baseman Missy Nemeth.

Concordia improved to 34-0 overall and 22-0 in PacWest Conference play.  The Eagles remain the only undefeated team in the NFCA DII Top 25 Coaches Poll.
 
Game 1: CUI 1, HPU 0

A pitcher's duel saw the Eagles manage only one hit by freshman Jasmine Gorman.  HPU starting pitcher Taylor Thompson brought a no-hitter into the seventh inning until Gorman reached on a bouncer up the middle. However the Eagles were not able to get her home and she was stranded at second base.

Senior pitcher Erika Morris matched Thompson frame for frame and went seven scoreless innings.  Morris allowed only two infield hits and one came off a bunt. Morris was locked in and lowered her ERA to a microscopic 0.71.

Entrup entered in relief and coerced the next nine outs for CUI while allowing only one hit in three innings. With the Sharks threatening after a bunt single put two on with nobody out in the top of the tenth, CUI got a force out and then Entrup struck out back-to-back batters to escape the jam.

In the bottom of the tenth, Kendall Flatt was placed on second base and moved over to third thanks to a perfect sacrifice bunt by Kaia Nisby. On the very next pitch, the squeeze was on and Lauren Fairchild placed down another bunt that rolled just long enough to give Flatt time to slide in safely to home plate for the game-winning run. The Eagles won in stunning fashion with only one hit off of Thompson.

Game 2: CUI 4, HPU 1

Entrup was at it again in the second game and did not disappoint.  She only allowed one unearned run and has not allowed a single earned run now in 50.1 consecutive innings!

Sydney Sprinkle was credited with a RBI single in the sixth when Lauren Lopez hustled home from second base on a chopper that was kept in the infield by HPU's shortstop.  Lopez beat the throw to the plate with heads-up base-running.  Moments later, Missy Nemeth smashed a no-doubt-about it three-run homer to make it 4-0 Eagles and the Sharks never really threatened after that.

Entrup notched her sixth complete game of the year and is now 13-0 on the season with a tiny 0.66 ERA after earning both wins on Tuesday against the Sharks.

CLICK HERE to read about CUI softball ascending to the No. 1 ranking in the new NFCA DII Coaches Poll

Concordia and HPU will play again on Wednesday to makeup their rained out games from Monday.  First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. PT with game two to follow at approximately 3:00 p.m.

CLICK HERE for the full CUI softball schedule