May 10, 2012 - Northern Athletics Conference baseball tournament action got underway this afternoon on a beautiful sun-splashed day in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. Today's second of three games at Herr-Baker Field featured two long-time rivals in the Concordia Cougars and the Rockford Regents. The game featured more than a few twists and turns, but the Cougars got the upper hand thanks to a three-run seventh inning and beat the Regents by a 6-3 final score.
Rockford came out swinging the bats against Concordia starter Ryan Thorsen (Lake Villa, IL/Grant). Jimmy Dercks led off with a double and scored on singles by Kipton Bucey and Kevin Miller. Thorsen got the cleanup batter Daryn Streed to roll into a 6-4-3 double play, but pitcher Jake Nicholson added the Regents' second run by hitting a 2-2 pitch back up the middle for a single to score Bucey.
Concordia struck back right away to tie the game. Brenden Schulz (Kenosha, WI/Bradford) was plunked by Nicholson's second pitch. Nick Skala (Long Grove, IL/St. Viator) followed with a single between third and short, Schulz moving to second. Anthony Even (Franklin Park, IL/West Leyden) then bunted toward third base with the intent of moving both runners into scoring position. Instead, Nicholson threw to third in an attempt to catch Schulz. The throw got past the third baseman and rolled down the leftfield line as both runners came around to score.
The Cougars went back to work in the second after Thorsen retired the side in order. Rob Fioravanti (Evergreen Park, IL/H.S.) and Robert Weis (Oak Creek, WI/H.S.) singled to start the rally. Both runners were sacrificed into scoring position by Schulz, and Even's fly ball to center scored Fioravanti with the go-ahead run.
A leadoff double by Nicholson in the fourth allowed Rockford to even the score. A walk and bunt single followed, and Curt Daughenbaugh's grounder to second brought Nicholson home. Thorsen was able to extinguish the rally though, getting a strikeout and fly to center to keep the score at 3-3.
In the top of the seventh, the Regents' leadoff man reached on an error. Concordia head coach Adam Smith went to the bullpen for lefty Kevin Pawell (Kenosha, WI/Bradford). Pawell diffused the threat quickly, getting Kipton Bucey to ground into a double play. After a base hit, Streed's liner to rightfield was speared by Dan Eichholzer (Elwood, IL/Joliet Township) on a nice running catch toward the line for the third out.
The Cougars then took command as Weis hit Nicholson's first pitch of the seventh to the base of the wall in left for a double. Nicholson's next pitch went to the backstop as Weis moved up 90 feet. Schulz followed with a smash past Nicholson for a base hit and a 4-3 lead.
Concordia kept the rally going with a little help from nature. Skala lofted a very high fly to left that the outfielder lost in the sun and the high sky, the ball falling behind him for a double. Nicholson retired Even on a grounder to third for the first out, the runners holding. Shawn Miller (Pleasant Prairie, WI/Tremper) was issued an intentional pass, but Stephens foiled the strategy by drawing a walk to force in Schulz. Eichholzer's line drive to center was deep enough for a sacrifice fly, bringing home Skala with the third run of the inning.
Tim Milroy (Batavia, IL/Marmion Academy) closed out the win for the Cougars over the final two innings. He allowed just a two-out double to Dercks in the ninth before getting Bucey on a comebacker to end the game. Milroy fanned three in earning the save as Pawell got the win, improving to 3-0 on the year.
"Our bullpen has done a great job all year, and they came up big for us today," said Smith. "Pawell got a big double play ball from the first batter he faced which was really big. Milroy came in, and his stuff today was just really dirty, probably among the best he's had this year."
Smith also lauded Thorsen's performance today as a very gutsy effort. "Ryan was dealing with pneumonia earlier this week. He came out today, and Rockford really hit him hard in the first inning. But he settled down, got a double play from their fourth hitter which I though was huge. Then we came out and scored two in our first at-bat to take some momentum away from them, and Ryan just gutted it out into the seventh until we were able to get those runs. I am very proud of the way he competed today."
The Cougars will face Benedictine University on Friday afternoon at 1:00. Depending on the result, they will play a second game at either 4:00 or 7:00.
