May 11, 2012 - The Concordia Cougars' second-round game in the Northern Athletics Conference Tournament turned into one of the team's roughest outings of the season to date. The Benedictine Eagles scored in each of the first three innings including four in the first and cruised to an 8-1 victory over the Cougars.
Concordia got on the board in the opening frame thanks to a couple of strange occurrences. After Brenden Schulz (Kenosha, WI/Bradford) drew a leadoff walk and Eagles' starter Mike Irgang hit Nick Skala (Long Grove, IL/St. Viator) with a pitch, Shawn Miller's (Pleasant Prairie, WI/Tremper) one-out roller hit the first-base bag and deflected away from the fielder to load the bases. Cam Stephens (Rosemont, IL/East Leyden) then hit a sharp liner directly at the rightfielder who dropped the ball as he prepared to throw home. He recovered in time to force Miller at second, but Schulz crossed the plate with the game's first run.
The lead did not last long as Benedictine batted around in their half of the first. Dan Kluss (Niles, IL/Niles West) had early control problems as two walks sandwiched around an error loaded the bases with one out. Tim Gindville then drove one to the wall in right-center that missed by inches of being a grand slam. The play went as a single, the runners having to hold momentarily. Nick Karakosta then doubled over Schulz's head in left for two runs and a 3-1 lead. Following the third walk of the inning to reload the bases, Steve Cocat hit a chopper through the left side of the infield. Gindville scored, but the relay by Schulz and Anthony Even (Franklin Park, IL/West Leyden) was in time to catch Karakosta at the plate. Kluss then retired Jake Passini for the third out, keeping the Cougars' deficit at three.
Benedictine added to its lead with single runs in the second and third. A double by Ryan Mullin with one out in the second chased Kluss from the game in favor of Steve Cox (Villa Park, IL/Willowbrook). Cox limited the damage, but a run scored on a grounder to second. In the third, a two-out single down the third-base line by Jake Passini scored Karakosta who had singled and advanced on a controversial balk call.
The third-inning run was the only tally Cox would allow in his 5 2/3 inning stint. However, the Cougars were unable to make any inroads on the early deficit. Concordia stranded 12 runners for the game including five over the middle three innings. Benedictine closed out the scoring wuth two runs in the eighth off Pat Conlin (Arlington Heights, IL/Rolling Meadows), one coming on a solo homer by Jake Passini. The blast was the first homer in the four games thus far at Marian University's Herr-Baker Field.
The loss puts the Cougars into an elimination game at 4:30 versus Dominican University. The winner will have to come back and win three games tomorrow to claim the tournament championship.
