Busy Week Underway for Cougar Softball
March 26, 2013 - The Concordia Cougar softball team emerged from a 18-day hiatus this afternoon to begin a stretch of three scheduled doubleheaders in five days. Today's first challenge was a stiff one as the Cougars matched up against North Central College at Shanower Field in Naperville. The Cardinals entered the game with a perfect 10-0 record, and they remained undefeated after defeating the Cougars 10-1 and 12-0.
Game one was actually a very tight contest through the first four innings, thanks to the pitching of Concordia freshman
Alicia Salata (Bartlett, IL/H.S.). Salata held North Central hitless through the first three innings, allowing just two base runners via walks. The Cougars had a scoring chance in the third as
Olivia Hires (Denver, CO/Bear Creek) singled with two out in the third and reached second base on a wild pitch. But Cardinals' hurler Vlasta Mangia got the third out on an infield tapper to keep the game scoreless.
Salata retired the first two batters in the fourth before Kiersten Tinkhoff doubled to deep center for the Cardinals' first hit. Andrea Starr then lined a shot over the wall in left-center for a homer and a 2-0 lead.
The Cougars came right back as
Meghan Johnson (Glendale Heights, IL/Glenbard West) cracked a single back up the middle. One out later,
Caitlin Richards (Chicago, IL/Mother McAuley) doubled over the centerfielder's head to score Johnson and cut the lead to 2-1.
North Central blew the game open with eight runs in the fifth, highlighted by Kayla Antle's bases-loaded double. An error also contributed to three of the runs charged as unearned.
In game two, Hires led off with a single and was sacrificed to second. However, the Cougars were unable to bring Hires in, and they would get just one more base runner over the next four innings. The Cardinals scored two runs in each of the first two innings, added a single run in the third and put seven on the board in the fourth.
Concordia (3-9) will open Northern Athletics Conference play Wednesday afternoon against Dominican University at the Stars' home field in Forest Park.
