March 27, 2012 - Senior catcher Nick Skala (Long Grove, IL/St. Viator) drove home four runs, three with a mammoth homer to Division Street, as the Concordia Cougars won their home opener this afternoon over Elmhurst College by a 7-4 score.

The Cougars' day began with a double helping of good news. Concordia placed 19th in this week's ABCA poll, up three spots from last week after winning a weekend series against Illinois Wesleyan. One of the hitting stars of the weekend, centerfielder Shawn Miller (Pleasant Prairie, WI/Tremper), was named the Northern Athletics Conference Baseball (position player) Student-Athlete of the Week.

Game time came with the predicted thunderstorms holding off, and the Cougars and Bluejays got underway in 65-degree temperatures. The two starting pitchers - Elmhurst's Dave Parr and Concordia's Bobby Beelen (Wheeling, IL/H.S.) - matched zeroes through the first three innings. Beelen gave up a pair of hits in the third inning but got cleanup hitter Marc Shield to ground into a 4-6-3 double play to end the threat.

Elmhurst put the first run of the game on the board in the top of the fourth. Beelen walked Jake Bronkema and then was unable to handle Tyler Wargo's comebacker which went for a base hit. A sacrifice bunt moved both runners up, and Zach Tsiodras' liner to rightfield went for a sacrifice fly. Dan Eichholzer's (Elwood, IL/Joliet Township) throw appeared to be in time to nail Bronkema, but the safe call was made and the Bluejays went up 1-0.

Concordia's hitters were unable to do much against Parr and his assortment of breaking balls through three. They began the fourth with Skala being hit by a pitch and Cam Stephens (Rosemont, IL/East Leyden) singling up the middle. However, Parr retired the next three batters to keep the visitors in the lead.

Parr retired the first batter in the fifth before Rich Santarelli (Homer Glen, IL/Chicago Christian) reached on a high throw from the third baseman. Santarelli was forced at second on Brenden Schulz's (Kenosha, WI/Bradford) grounder, an out which should have ended the inning. Instead, Eichholzer kept the inning going with a single to rightfield, Schulz advancing to third. Skala then jumped on Parr's first pitch and hit a no-doubt shot to left that went for his third homer of the year and a 3-1 Cougars' lead.

Concordia's momentum carried over to the sixth inning against reliever Jeff Guzzi. Miller led off with a double over the centerfielder's head. Robert Weis (Oak Creek, WI/H.S.) looked to sacrifice the runner over but wound up beating out the bunt for a hit. Guzzi struck out Santarelli, but Schulz hit a sacrifice fly to center, bringing home Miller. The Cougars were not done however, as Eichholzer hit a shot that took a high hop and handcuffed the shortstop. The infield hit scored Weis for the fifth run, and Skala's double to the right-center gap brought Eichholzer all the way around for a 6-1 lead.

The Bluejays scratched an unearned run off reliever C.J. Selner (Milwaukee, WI/Milwaukee Lutheran) in the seventh after Selner had pitched a scoreless sixth. Joe Kennedy walked with one out and reached second when Selner's pickoff attempt sailed wide of first. Dave Wolak's single to center brought home Kennedy, prompting CUC head coach Adam Smith to call to the bullpen for lefty Kevin Pawell (Kenosha, WI/Bradford). Pawell faced the left-handed hitting Shield who grounded into an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play.

The Cougars answered the Bluejays' tally with a manufactured run. Anthony Even (Franklin Park, IL/West Leyden) doubled down the line. Rob Fioravanti's (Evergreen Park, IL/H.S.) line smash up the middle was snared by the second baseman, but the only play was at first as Even went to third. Miller brought Even home with a fly to center to make the score Cougars 7, Bluejays 2.

Tim Nolan's two-out solo homer in the eighth off J.P. Kulick (Buffalo Grove, IL/H.S.) put Elmhurst back on the board. The Bluejays went back to work in the ninth off of Tim Milroy (Batavia, IL/Marmion Academy). Pinch-hitter Brian Marquis looped a single to left and moved to second on a wild pitch. Brian Evans then lined a shot to right-center that fell in front of a charging Eichholzer. The ball took a high hop past Eichholzer as Evans trotted into second base with a double, Marquis scoring.

The drama heightened as Kennedy was hit by a pitch, bringing the tying run to the plate. But Milroy battled Wolak and got a ground ball to short for a 6-4-3 double play. Milroy finished things up by getting Shield to hit a chopper to third. Even backed up, fielded the ball and made a strong throw to first for the final out.

Beelen improved to 2-1 with five innings of work. The junior allowed one run on five hits, striking out four and walking three.

Concordia (12-3) begins conference play Saturday with a noon doubleheader against Benedictine University.