April 4, 2013 - The Concordia Cougars put forth two solid efforts in this afternoon's softball doubleheader versus traditional Northern Athletics Conference power Aurora University. "Power" was the operative word of the day however, as the visiting Spartans belted four homers in the doubleheader to prevail over the Cougars by scores of 7-6 and 7-4.
Brooke Spencer began the homerun display in the first inning of game one when she tagged a three-run blast to right-center. The Spartans added a single tally in the third as Lillie Stone hit one that stayed inside the foul pole in left.
Concordia began to chip away at the 4-0 deficit in the fourth.
Megan Johnson (Glendale Heights, IL/Glenbard West) was hit by a pitch.
Allie Bochat (Crystal Lake, IL/Crystal Lake South) singled to center, and
Jenni Jensen (Chicago, IL/Luther North) walked to load the bases. Aurora's Vanessa Hartzell retired the next batter, but
Sarah James (Riverside, IL/Riverside-Brookfield) cracked a two-run single to center, scoring Johnson and pinch-runner
Haley Kalinichenko (Phoenix, AZ/Horizon). James stole second base moments later to put two runners in scoring position, but Hartzell got the next two outs to keep the score at 4-2.
Olivia Hires (Denver, CO/Bear Creek) reached base to start the fifth on a throwing error by the second baseman. One out later, Johnson picked on the first pitch and hit a no-doubt blast over the rightfield fence. The homer was Johnson's team-leading fourth of the season and tied the game at 4-4. Jensen later doubled with two outs, chasing Hartzell in favor of relief pitcher Hope Webster, but Webster was able to get the third out and keep the game tied.
Sami DeFord (South Bend, IN/Marian) retired the side in order in the sixth, and the Cougars put together a two-out rally.
Caitlin Richards (Chicago, IL/Mother McAuley) reached on an infield single. Hires singled between third and short, and
Andrea Kelly (Elk Grove, CA/Laguna Creek) walked to load the bases and bring Johnson to bat. Johnson laced a 2-1 pitch to leftfield for a single, driving in her third and fourth runs of the game and giving Concordia a 6-4 lead.
Unfortunately, the Cougars could not hold off the Spartans in the seventh. Rebecca Randall reached on a bunt single, and Stephanie Lynch singled through the right side. Tristan Wilcox then delivered a three-run homer to centerfield, giving the visitors a 7-6 lead.
Concordia looked to rally as Jensen drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the inning. DeFord sacrificed her to second, but Webster struck out the final two batters to seal the Spartans' comeback victory.
To the Cougars' credit, the disappointment of the first game did not linger long. After Johnson set down Aurora 1-2-3 in the first, Concordia put up a four-spot in their initial at-bat. Hires singled and Johnson walked ahead of Bochat's second homer of the year, a three-run blast to the parking lot behind the leftfield fence. Jensen followed with a single and moved up on an infield out. James then looped a single to rightfield, bringing Jensen around with the fourth run of the inning.
The Spartans got one run back in the third on a fielder's choice before taking control in the fifth. Two singles and a hit batsman loaded the bases for Spencer. Aurora's shortstop drilled her second homer of the day off the scoreboard in leftfield. The grand slam gave the Spartans a 5-4 lead.
Aurora added single runs in each of the last two innings. Lynch's single scored Randall in the sixth, and an infield error brought home the final run in the seventh.
Concordia (4-14, 1-5 NAC) will play a single game at Wheaton College on Friday afternoon at 4:30 before returning to conference play Saturday afternoon at Concordia University Wisconsin.
