April 15. 2012 - There was much drama this afternoon as the Concordia Cougar baseball team battled the current Northern Athletics Conference leaders, the Aurora University Spartans. The doubleheader was preceded by the official dedication of Concordia's upgraded baseball facility. Following the ceremony, the festive crowd thrilled to the Cougars' come-from-behind 5-4 win in game one. However, the second game was anti-climactic as the Spartans pounded out 18 hits including three homers in a 13-0 shellacking to gain the split.

Game one produced a great pitchers' duel between Aurora's Drew Gay and Concordia's Ryan Thorsen (Lake Villa, IL/Grant). Each pitcher allowed just two hits through the first five innings, and both worked out of a couple of jams to keep the game scoreless.

Aggressive baserunning enabled Concordia to finally break the ice in the sixth. With one out, the shortstop bobbled Shawn Miller's (Pleasant Prairie, WI/Tremper) grounder briefly, enough for Miller to beat the throw to first. Rob Fioravanti (Evergreen Park, IL/H.S.) singled through the hole between third and short. Miller did not break stride around second, forcing a throw from the leftfielder. The thorw was not in time, and Fioravanti was able to move up to second on the play.

Dan Eichholzer (Elwood, IL/Joliet Township) attempted to squeeze the first run home, but the first baseman made a quick toss home to get Miller for the second out. However, freshman Rich Santarelli (Homer Glen, IL/Chicago Christian) went first-pitch hunting and grounded a single to right. Fioravanti scored easily and, when the rightfielder had trouble picking up the ball, Eichholzer turned on the jets and scored all the way from first. Santarelli made second on the play, and he scored when Robert Weis (Oak Creek, WI/H.S.) slapped a single up the middle for a 3-0 lead.

Aurora put a run on the board in the seventh, but Kevin Pawell (Kenosha, WI/Bradford) was able to retire Brett Van Asdlen with the bases loaded to keep the Cougars in the lead. However, the Spartans went to work against Pawell with one out in the ninth. Josh Davidson was hit by a pitch, and Tim Mackey doubled to left-center to score Davidson and make it a one-run game. Ryan Adams then drilled a 2-2 pitch high to center, and Miller watched the ball sail over the fence for a 4-3 Spartans' lead.

Tim Milroy (Batavia, IL/Marmion Academy) came in to get the final two outs, and the Cougars came up for their final chance. Weis led off, and he fell behind Chris Skiniotes 0-2 before taking four straight pitches wide to draw a leadoff walk. Brenden Schulz (Kenosha, WI/Bradford) worked a 2-1 count before getting down a successful sacrifice, moving Weis to second.

Nick Skala (Long Grove, IL/St. Viator) fell behind 0-2 but came through with a single up the middle. Weis raced around third and beat the throw home while Skala alertly took second. Anthony Even (Franklin Park, IL/West Leyden) was issued an intentional pass, setting up a potential double play. Skiniotes fanned Cam Stephens (Rosemont, IL/East Leyden) for the second out, bringing Miller to the play. On a 2-1 pitch, Miller hit a ground ball just out of the diving first baseman's reach, and the rightfielder had no play on Skala who raced home with the winning run.

"It doesn't get much better than that," said Cougar head coach Adam Smith. "We had some smart at-bats against their pitcher in the ninth, we didn't panic, and we were able to get the job done and get an important win."

The Cougars' quest for a sweep was denied as Aurora scored five times in the top of the second against Ryan Ganther (Racine, WI/Racine Lutheran) and Steve Cox (Villa Park, IL/Willowbrook) and never looked back. Adams golfed a long two-run homer to right to cap the inning. Cory Walden and Mackey also homered to back the three-hit pitching of Eric Palmer who struck out nine to earn the eight-inning, complete-game win.

Concordia (21-7, 8-4 NAC) will play two non-conference games this week, beginning with a single game at Wheaton College on Tuesday.