April 13, 2014 – The Cougar softball team hosted two games against Rockford University on Sunday, their second doubleheader in as many days. The Cougars swept the Regents 3-2 and 12-5 behind the hitting and pitching of Alicia Salata (Bartlett, IL/Bartlett). The sophomore hit a two-run homer and was the winning pitcher in game one. In game two-, Salata drove in six runs with another home run and a triple.
 
Head Coach Sarah O'Malley-Fisher reflected on the weekend's games against NACC competition and said, "I think that we showed consistency across the weekend and did not let the ebbs and flows of the game distract us from doing the little things necessary to win ball games. On Sunday, it came together and we came back in the first game for the win. In the second game, we got the lead and held it, snuffing out a potential comeback. Next week, we will have some tough nonconference competition. We will need to maintain the same composure regardless of the situation."
 
In the first game of the day against Rockford University they sent Andrea Kelly (Elk Grove, CA/Laguna Creek) to the mound where she cruised through the first four innings, allowing one earned run before a planned pitching change with Salata in the top of the fifth. Rockford scored in the top of the third and fourth innings sandwiched around a run for Concordia in the bottom of the third.
 
In the third inning, Hannah Solyom (Lombard, IL/Walther Lutheran) led off the inning by reaching on an error. Meghan Johnson (Glendale Heights, IL/Glenbard West) tripled with two outs to drive in Solyom, temporarily tying the game at one apiece.
 
After two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning, Jenni Jensen (Chicago, IL/Luther North) earned a walk on four straight pitches. That was followed by Salata blasting a home run to straightaway center over the tall fence making the score 3-2 in favor of the Cougars. Salata then pitched the top of the seventh, which was a three-up, three-down inning, Two of those outs were fly balls to deep center field where Solyom showed her defensive prowess with great catches.
 
During the first game, the temperature started at a balmy 67 degrees. By the time the second game started, it was down to the low 50s and sprinkles had started. There was a short delay before game two, and the teams agreed to try and play in between the rain showers. This worked out to the Cougars' advantage as they clubbed their way to a 12-5 win.
 
Johnson started in the circle and pitched five and two-thirds innings allowing four hits and one earned run in the victory. The run support started early in this game as Kelly, Johnson, and Jensen loaded the bases with two outs. Salata then tripled to clear the bases. Haley Kalinichenko (Scottsdale, AZ/Horizon) followed with a single, scoring Salata to make the score 4-0 Concordia in the bottom of the first inning.
 
The Cougars were at it again in the second. Solyom, Kelly and Emilia Vowell (Peotone, IL/Peotone) loaded the bases with no outs. Vowell was particularly persistent as she faced an 0-2 count and fouled off strikes and had a good eye on balls to get to a 3-2 count. She singled on the 12th pitch of the at-bat. Johnson doubled scoring two runs to make it 6-0 and stamp their authority on the game.

After the third inning, there was another rain delay, which gave Rockford a chance to collect themselves. They scored two runs in the top of the fourth, which was followed in the bottom of the inning by Jensen singling in Johnson to make a it a 7-2 game.
 
In the top of the sixth with more rain clouds gathering, the Regents made a last push and managed three runs. However, in the bottom of the inning, the Cougars responded with five of their own to put the game away. Kelly doubled to lead off and after one out, Johnson reached on an error by the catcher. Allie Bochat (Crystal Lake, IL/Crystal Lake South) doubled scoring Kelly. Jensen singled in Johnson and then Salata came up for her final at-bat of the day. On an 0-1 count, she homered off the flag pole beyond the left-centerfield wall for her second homer of the day and a total of eight RBIs. With the score 12-5, Rockford went out tamely in order in the top of the seventh. The inning was highlighted by another great catch by Solyom on the warning track.
 
The next week contains a number of weather related makeup games and a truncated schedule. Tuesday, the Cougars travel to North Park University for a doubleheader. On Wednesday, they travel to Carthage, who has been ranked in the top 25 nationally for a doubleheader. On Saturday, April 19, CUC returns to the NACC schedule and plays two at the Milwaukee School of Engineering.