After a 12-day layoff, Lourdes returned to the diamond on Thursday afternoon, but suffered a sweep at the hands of Concordia (Mich.) 4-0 and 10-5 at Gray Wolf Field.
 
In the opener, Lauren Reichel went the distance, striking out eight without walking anyone.  She scattered just four hits in the complete game win (8-6).
 
The Cardinals scored single runs in four different innings.  A two-out single in the first put Concordia in front while a squeeze bunt in the third doubled the advantage.  Run-scoring groundouts in the fifth and seventh completed the scoring.
 
Lourdes managed just one runner past first base in the opener, a one-out double by Annalisse Palma (Battle Creek, Mich./Lakeview H.S.) in the second.
 
Milena Applegate (Jerome, Mich./Lumen Christi H.S.) went the distance in the circle for the Gray Wolves, allowing four runs on eight hits while striking out two in the loss (0-6).
 
Concordia (21-16, 9-3 WHAC) jumped in front quickly in game two, scoring three times in the top of the first.  The Gray Wolves evened the game in the bottom of the inning though.  After Megan Richardson (Napoleon, Ohio/Napoleon H.S) led off with a triple, back-to-back bunt singles by Palma and Ella Leonard (Lorain, Ohio/Midview H.S.) loaded the bases.  Two batters later, Hailey Cramer (Sylvania, Ohio/Southview H.S.) scored a run on a fielder's choice, with a second run scampering home on a throwing error.  Emily Wallace (Thornville, Ohio/Lakewood H.S.) followed with a RBI single, tying the game.
 
The Cardinals retook the lead on a wild pitch in the second and added two more in the fourth to build a 6-3 lead.  Cramer responded with a run-scoring triple in the fifth, only to see Concordia score three more times in the sixth and add a final run in the seventh.
 
Lourdes scored its final run in the bottom of the seventh on a run-scoring groundout by Kayla Gauthier (Linwood, Mich./Pinconning H.S.).
 
Richardson had three hits while Leonard and Gauthier had two each as part of a 12-hit attack for the Gray Wolves in game two.
 
Cassidy Kane earned the win (4-2) in the circle, allowing just one earned run in 6.1 innings of relief while Ashley Roth (LaRue, Ohio/Elgin H.S.) suffered the loss (4-8), yielding nine runs, only three of which were earned due to four Lourdes errors, in six innings of work.
 
Lourdes (4-25, 1-9) returns to the diamond on Saturday afternoon as the Gray Wolves travel to Michigan-Dearborn.  First pitch in game one of the doubleheader is set for 1 p.m. at Novi High School.