Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 March 15, 2014 - The Concordia Cougars completed a three-game sweep of their weekend trip to Terre Haute, Indiana with a pair of wins today. Following yesterday's win over the host Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology team, the Cougars defeated Illinois Wesleyan University 8-0 and Carthage College 7-4 to head home with a record of 9-2.
In the morning game against IWU, three Cougar pitchers combined to post the team's second straight shutout. Dan Kluss (Niles, IL/Niles West) evened his record at 1-1 with seven strong innings. Kluss allowed five hits and two walks while fanning seven. Jordan Tharp (Cullom., IL/Tri-Point) and Kevin Pawell (Kenosha, WI/Bradford) finished up with one scoreless inning each. The Cougars got on the board in the third
. Rich Santarelli (Homer Glen, IL/Chicago Christian) led off with a base hit, moved up on a sacrifice and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly by
Steve Zubrzycki (McHenry, IL/Marian Central Catholic). Concordia made it 2-0 in the fifth on doubles by
Doug Matthews (Crest Hill, IL/Lockport Township) and
Dan LoDolce (Northlake, IL/Walther Lutheran).
Concordia left no doubt about the outcome as they sent 10 men to the plate in the sixth inning and came up with six runs. Thomas Gier (Fox Lake, IL/Grant Community) and Kyle Huber (Chicago, IL/Lane Tech) greeted the new Titans' reliever with base hits. A sacrifice bunt that was thrown away turned into the first tally of the inning. Moments later, Santarelli singled home a pair of runs. A wild pitch made it a 6-0 game, and Dan Eichholzer's (Elwood, IL/Joliet West) double scored the final two runs and turned the game into a rout. In the afternoon game against Carthage, CUC took a couple of one-run leads but saw the Redmen match them both times. Santarelli's RBI single gave the Cougars a 1-0 lead in the second, but Carthage evened the score in the fourth. The Cougars regained the lead in the sixth on Matthews' sacrifice fly, only to see the Redmen answer in the bottom of the inning.
Concordia then gained the upper hand in the seventh with a three-run burst. LoDolce led off with a single, and Eichholzer followed with a double to produce the go-ahead run. Carlos Olavarria (Rosemont, IL/East Leyden) and Gier drove home runs later in the inning for a 5-2 lead. Carthage rallied in the eighth inning to make for a few anxious moments. The Redmen scored twice and loaded the bases before Steve Cox (Villa Park, IL/Willowbrook) retired the number one batter in the Carthage lineup on a comebacker to keep the score at 5-4. The Cougars then came up with some welcome insurance in the top of the ninth. Huber had the big hit of the inning, a two-out, two-run double to the gap in left-center.
C.J. Selner (Milwaukee, WI/Milwaukee Lutheran) earned the win, improving to 2-1 on the season. Selner hurled 6 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on seven hits with three strikeouts. Will Polley (River Forest, IL/Oak Park-River Forest) and Kurt Kempema (Schaumburg, IL/H.S.) followed Selner from the bullpen, building the bridge to Cox. Concordia's game on Sunday at DePauw University has been postponed and likely will not be made up. The Cougars are scheduled to host the College of St. Scholastica and North Park University next weekend. Fans are advised to check www.cucougars.com for the status of these games as the weekend approaches.
