Box Score March 3, 2014 - Picking up a teammate is a part of all team sports, baseball included. The Cougars were faced with that challenge today, and they rose to the occasion with an 8-4 win over St. Mary's University of Minnesota this afternoon in sunny Tucson, Arizona.
Junior Eric Palmer (Melrose Park, IL/West Leyden) made his CUC debut on the mound today and showed some good stuff early. He yielded a leadoff single but came back to get the next three batters on two infield grounders and a strikeout. The Cougars then gave Palmer a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first. After the first two batters went down, Carlos Olavarria (Rosemont, IL/East Leyden) lined a ringing double to leftfield. Thomas Gier (Fox Lake, IL/Grant Community) was hit by a pitch, setting the table for Kyle Huber (Chicago, IL/Lane Tech). Huber, who went 2-2 in the late innings of yesterday's game, hit the first pitch to rightfield, carrying over the outfielder's head and rolling to the fence. Olavarria scored easily, and Gier beat the relay throw to the plate as CUC grabbed the early lead. Palmer struck out the first batter in the second inning but then had to leave the game with a 1-1 count on the number six batter. Kurt Kempema (Schaumburg, IL/H.S.) was summoned from the bullpen and was given sufficient time to warm up. Kempema then retired the next two batters on a line drive to third and a grounder to third. Cardinals' starter Steph Scatassa matched zeroes with Kempema until SMU struck in the fifth. With one out, Ben Buerkle's triple to left scored a pair of runners who had reached on a walk and a base hit. However, CUC escaped further damage as Rich Santarelli (Homer Glen, IL/Chicago Christian) fielded a ground ball to second and threw home to Will Randerson (Combined Locks, WI/Kimberly) who tagged Buerkle out. Kempema retired the next batter on an infield dribbler to keep the score tied. Once again, the Cougars responded to an opponent's scoring inning with one of their own making. Steve Zubrzycki (McHenry, IL/Marian Central Catholic) was plunked by the St. Marys' relief pitcher and promptly stole second. Olavarria then ripped the first pitch to leftfield. Zubrzycki beat the throw home while Olavarria alertly moved into second. Olavarria was at third two outs later when Randerson prolonged the rally with a walk. Freshman Doug Matthews (Crest Hill, IL/Lockport Township) came up and smoked a 1-0 pitch past the third baseman and all the way to the leftfield corner. Olavarria and Randerson scored on the double, giving CUC a 5-2 lead. Following a scoreless sixth, St. Mary's began to make matters interesting in the seventh. Kempema made a great reaction play in spearing a rocket headed directly at him for the first out. However, a hit batter and a single put runners on the corners before Willie Doll's fly to center brought home a run. Kempema retired the next batter on an infield pop and then exited the game having pitched 5 2/3 innings of solid relief.
"We feel very good about our pitching depth, and Kurt showed that today," said fourth-year head coach Adam Smith. "It was really a tough moment to see Eric have to leave the game suddenly and Kurt come in cold from the pen. But Kurt picked us all up and got us into the late innings with the lead." Dan Kluss (Niles, IL/Niles West) took the mound for the eighth inning and resumed where he left off last May as he fanned the first two hitters. He was ahead of Kevin Miley, but Miley fought off a 1-2 pitch and lined it softly into leftfield for a hit. Buerkle was next up, and he hit the first pitch to the left-center gap. Miley, who was running with two out, scored easily. The ball got away momentarily in the outfield, and Buerkle turned on the jets and attempted to come all the way around the bases. But that did not happen as centerfielder Dan Eichholzer (Elwood, IL/Joliet West) and Santarelli combined for a perfect throw to the plate, Santarelli making the tag on Buerkle and keeping the game at Cougars 5, Cardinals 4. Concordia's batters went back to work in the bottom of the inning. With one out, Santarelli reached on an infield error. Colin Bethran (Schaumburg, IL/H.S.) then singled to right-center and brought leadoff man Eichholzer to the plate. Eichholzer worked a 2-2 count and then ripped one high and deep to left. The leftfielder's leap at the fence came up empty as Eichholzer circled the bases with CUC's first homer of the year, a three-run blast that put the lead up to 8-4. "I thought that sequence in the eighth was a very important one in that Colin and Dan had both struggled at the plate all day," said Smith. "But they made adjustments that paid off with Colin going opposite field and Dan going yard. Making those kinds of adjustments and having a good approach is crucial to winning games, and that inning was a great example of that."
Senior Steve Cox (Villa Park, IL/Willowbrook) made his season debut in the ninth, facing four batters and allowing just a harmless single as the Cougars closed out their second victory. The Cougars will enjoy a day off on Tuesday before taking the field on Wednesday at noon (Chicago time). They will play a first-time opponent in Indiana Wesleyan University. Freshman southpaw Cody Caballero (Lemont, IL/H.S.) is expected to get the call for Concordia.
