March 17, 2012 - Concordia University Chicago's softball team began the home season by hosting Wheaton College in a 75-degree sun-splashed doubleheader this afternoon. The Cougars handed the Thunder a 4-3 loss, its first of 2012, in game one but Wheaton came back to edge Concordia 7-6 in an eight-inning nightcap.
In game one, Concordia starter
Sami DeFord (South Bend, IN/Marian) escaped a bases-loaded jam in the first inning, catching Shannah Morris looking at a called third strike. The Cougars then took the lead in their initial at-bat.
Olivia Hires (Denver, CO/Bear Creek) singled over the shortstop's head, and
Jenni Jensen (Chicago, IL/Luther North) bunted for a hit. The next two hitters were retired, but
Cassie Slechta (Berwyn, IL/Walther Lutheran) doubled to the gap in left-center. Hires scored, but Jensen was cut down at the plate to hold the Cougars to one run.
Concordia added to its lead in the third. Jensen and
Taylor Golden (Chicago, IL/Trinity) started the inning with base hits. After one out, Slechta and DeFord each delivered run-scoring singles to push the advantage to 3-0.
Wheaton broke through with a run in the fifth, but Concordia answered it moments later. Golden walked and was sacrificed to second. Slechta followed with a shot to right-center that hit the fence on the fly. Slechta was held to a single, but it was enough to score Golden and give Concordia a 4-1 lead. For Slechta, it was her third straight hit and third RBI of the game.
The Thunder rallied in the seventh to make things uneasy for the home team. With one out, a walk and two singles loaded the bases. A fly to left scored one run but put the Cougars one out away. However, a walk and a hit batsman forced in a run to make it 4-3, bases still loaded. DeFord came back to retire Morris on a swinging third strike and close out the Cougars' second win of the season.
Concordia's chances for a sweep took a hit in the first inning of the nightcap. Three errors by the Cougars, combined with three Wheaton hits, staked the visitors to a 3-0 lead. Wheaton added single runs in the second, third and fourth innings to take what appeared to be a commanding 6-0 lead.
The Cougars fought back to score five in the fifth. With two aboard and one out, Golden singled up the middle. The shortstop appeared to have a play but was momentarily distracted by the baserunner moving in front of her. Hires scored to put the Cougars on the board.
Clarissa Gieseke (Roselle, IL/Lake Park) followed with a single between third and short, scoring Jensen while moving into second on the play. Slechta then grounded to third base. The throw home was too late to catch Golden, and the ball got by the catcher allowing the runners to move up an extra base. With two out,
Renee Benjamin (Chicago, IL/Mather) singled to score Gieseke and pinch-runner
Mallory Kiel (Columbus, IN/Columbus East) to make it Wheaton 6, Concordia 5.
Concordia capped the comeback with the tying run in the sixth.
Sarah James (Riverside, IL/Riverside-Brookfield) singled and was sacrificed to second. Jensen then lined a shot to left. The hit fell at the charging outfielder's shoetop and kicked off her foot into left-center. James received the "go" sign around third and scored to make it a new game. Jensen made second on the play but was stranded there as Danielle Schmidt retired Golden and Gieseke to end the inning.
Neither team scored in the seventh, and the game went to the tiebreaker rules in the eighth, each team beginning the inning with a runner placed on second. Wheaton sacrificed their runner to third, and a sacrifice fly by Megan Chrans scored the go-ahead run. Concordia began their half with Benjamin on second. Jordan Smith (Somonauk, IL/H.S.) sacrificed her to third, getting down the bunt on an 0-2 count. But reliever Ainsley McCullough struck out James and Hires to leave Benjamin at third and give the Thunder the split.
Concordia (2-6) will return to action on Thursday when they play a doubleheader at North Park University.
