March 8, 2013 - The Cougars' week-long road trip to the Rebel Games in Kissimmee, Florida came to a close today with a 3-7 record. Concordia's bats dominated game one, a 15-8 win over Roger Williams University of Rhode Island, but Geneva College of Pennsylvania was able to hold off the gutsy Cougars 9-5 in the trip finale.
           
In game one, the Cougars trailed 2-1 against Roger Williams before erupting for a nine-run third inning. The rally began with singles by Caitlin Richards (Chicago, IL/Mother McAuley), Meghan Johnson (Glendale Heights, IL/Glenbard West) and Allie Bochat (Crystal Lake, IL/Crystal Lake South) to tie the game. Jenni Jensen (Chicago, IL/Luther North) then singled to score a pair of runs and give Concordia a 4-2 lead. Before the inning was over, Olivia Hires (Denver, CO/Bear Creek) doubled home a run and Johnson knocked out her second homer of the week, a two-run shot to make the score 10-2.

The Hawks rallied within five runs twice, the second time making the score 13-8 after six. But the Cougars put a couple of insurance runs on the board, thanks to a run-scoring single by Bochat and an RBI double by Jensen. Alicia Salata (Bartlett, IL/H.S.) earned her first collegiate win with five innings of work in the pitcher's circle.

Against Geneva College, the Cougars fell behind 3-0 in the first but battled back. Hires' leadoff double led to her scoring on an infield out. In the second, Hires came up with the bases loaded and smacked a two-run single to tie the game 3-3.
           
The Golden Tornadoes regained the lead 6-3 in the third inning and added to it in the fifth on a two-run homer by Laura Beck. The Cougars answered in the fifth as Bochat's fly sailed away from the second baseman and was eventually tracked down in the outfield. However, the cutoff was improperly positioned, allowing both the runner and Bochat to circle all the way around the bases. Unfortunately for the Cougars, they would get no closer as the Golden Tornadoes added a final run in the sixth.   
 
“I was impressed all week with our approach and our fight,” said Cougars' head coach Sarah O'Malley-Fisher. “Our players did a very good job of focusing on one inning at a time and not letting adverse situations distract them from what they needed to do. That was evident in all three of the wins and even some of the losses, and I think that reveals the type of team we will have this year.”