April 20, 2013 - The Concordia Cougars headed into this weekend looking for the opportunity to solidify their bid for a Northern Athletics Conference tournament berth. They were successful in today's games against Marian University, winning by scores of 5-0 and 8-4.
Today's games were moved from Fond du Lac to River Forest due to Marian's field being unplayable from the holdover winter weather. Concordia batted first and was able to get the early jump on their opponents.
Olivia Hires (Denver, CO/Bear Creek) reached base as strike three eluded the catcher. She came around to score on a walk, grounder to first and an RBI groundout by
Allie Bochat (Crystal Lake, IL/Crystal Lake South).
Concordia doubled its lead in the third.
Andrea Kelly (Elk Grove, CA/Laguna Creek) drew a one-out walk, and
Meghan Johnson (Glendale Heights, IL/Glenbard West) doubled to left. Kelly advanced to third and came home moments later as Bochat produced another RBI grounder, this one to second base.
The lead became 4-0 in the fifth. Hires and Kelly singled with one out, and Johnson followed by slapping the first pitch to her between first and second base. Hires scored while Kelly moved to third on a wild throw by the outfielder. Bochat then brought Kelly home with her third RBI groundout.
Johnson scored the Cougars' final run in the seventh. She singled to right, moved up on a wild pitch and came home on Bochat's single up the middle.
Sami DeFord (South Bend, IN/Marian) was in total control in earning her fourth win of the season. The senior allowed only a one-out double in the second and one-out single in the seventh while striking out six.
In game two, the Cougars took a 1-0 lead in the second on DeFord's double and
Sarah James' (Riverside, IL/Riverside-Brookfield) single. But the Sabres came back in the bottom of the inning. Nikki Jakel's single tied the game and Emilie Jansen's bases-loaded triple staked Marian to a 4-1 lead.
Concordia roared back in the fourth to take command of the game.
Jenni Jensen (Chicago, IL/Luther North) worked a leadoff walk, and DeFord laced a shot to the right-center gap for a run-scoring double. The Marian pitcher retired the next two batters, but the inning was kept alive as
Caitlin Richards' (Chicago, IL/Mother McAuley) looper in the infield was muffed by the first baseman. Hires was up next, and her single to right brought a run home. Hires stole second and followed Richards across the plate moments later as Kelly singled to right-center for a 5-4 lead. Kelly's hit brounght on a pitching change, but Johnson greeted the new hurler by ripping a double to centerfield to score Kelly.
The Cougars added insurance runs in the sixth and seventh innings. Kelly singled in the sixth and scored later on Bochat's grounder. The final run came as DeFord led off the seventh with a double and scored on
Hannah Solyom's (Lombard, IL/Walther Lutheran) single.
Johnson earned the win as she took over the pitching chores in the third and hurled five shutout innings. She struck out five batters, walked no one and surrendered just two hits.
Concordia (12-17, 9-7 NAC) will take on Lakeland College on Sunday afternoon. The game has been moved to the neutral site of Alverno College in Milwaukee.
