March 22, 2012 - The Concordia Cougars got some fine pitching in today's doubleheader against North Park University but could not come up with enough timely hitting. The result was a pair of losses by 2-1 and 3-2 scores at NPU's Holmgren Complex.
In game one,
Sami DeFord (South Bend, IN/Marian) and Casey Latal hooked up in a classic pitchers' duel. Neither pitcher allowed a hit through the first three innings. The Cougars finally broke through in the fourth as
Olivia Hires (Denver, CO/Bear Creek) singled down the leftfield line. Hires advanced to second on a sacrifice by
Jenni Jensen (Chicago, IL/Luther North) and to third on
Taylor Golden's (Chicago, IL/Trinity) infield single. One out later,
Cassie Slechta (Berwyn, IL/Walther Lutheran) delivered the third hit of the inning, a single to left that scored Hires for a 1-0 lead.
DeFord continued to blank the Vikings over the next three innings, although Megan Bura ended DeFord's no-hit bid with a leadoff single in the fifth. However, that would be the hosts' only hit through six innings.
Concordia missed a great opportunity to add to their lead in the seventh.
Clarissa Gieseke (Roselle, IL/Lake Park) led off with a single, and Slechta was hit by a pitch. One out later,
Sarah James (Riverside, IL/Riverside-Brookfield) walked to load the bases. But Latal came back to strike out
Renee Benjamin (Chicago, IL/Mather) and retire
Caitlin Richards (Chicago, IL/Mother McAuley) on a foul pop to catcher, keeping the score at 1-0.
The fateful bottom of the seventh began with Ana Pistilli's slow roller up the middle that went for a base hit. Katie Anderson's bunt then by DeFord for a hit, putting two runners aboard. DeFord then got ahead of Bura 1-2, but Bura got her bat on the ball and dropped a soft liner into short centerfield to load the bases. DeFord retired the next batter on a pop to short leftfield, runners holding. But pinch-hitter Melissa Abraham came through with a base hit to left that scored the tying and winning runs.
In game two, North Park touched Concordia's starting battery of pitcher Slechta and catcher Richards for one run in the first and two in the third.
Sarah Dec (Norridge, IL/Guerin Prep) took over in the pitcher's circle in the fourth and shut out the Vikings over the next three innings.
The Cougars were hitless through four, but
Moira Quinlan (Franklin Park, IL/East Leyden) slapped a single into the hole between third and short with one out in the fifth to break up Courtney Lucht's bid.
Tracy Bonaccorsi (Lombard, IL/Montini Catholic) later walked, and both runners would move into scoring position, but Lucht was able to strand both runners and end the threat.
Lucht was not so fortunate in the sixth. With one out, Slechta walked. Gieseke then drove a pitch over the wall in leftfield for a two-run homer, scoring pinch-runner
Hannah Solyom (Lombard, IL/Walther Lutheran) ahead of her. The blast was Gieseke's second of the year, and it brought the Cougars to within 3-2. However, the Cougars could not muster any offense in the seventh as Lucht retired the side in order to give the Vikings the sweep.
Concordia (2-8) will travel to St. Louis this weekend for four games hosted by Washington University and Fontbonne University.
