April 17, 2014 – The Cougar softball team played two make-up games at North Park University on Thursday that had been postponed from two earlier attempts. The third attempt at playing the games began brightly for the Cougars but ended in a tight 3-2 defeat in extra innings of game one. The Vikings then made it a home team sweep as they defeated the Cougars 5-1 in game two.
 
Head coach Sarah O'Malley-Fisher said after the games, "We played well in 14 of the 16 innings we had today. Unfortunately, those innings cost us the games. It is good to play tough non-conference competition, although we would have liked to play them as scheduled earlier in the season to help us prepare for the conference schedule. Now we have to focus on our next NACC opponent on Saturday."
 
In the first game of the day, Andrea Kelly (Elk Grove, CA/Laguna Creek) was in the circle. She was stellar and had superb defensive help. Kelly retired the first 18 batters she faced with four strikeouts, taking a perfect game to the bottom of the seventh inning. Then trouble struck on four straight hits as North Park scored one run and loaded the bases with no outs. A pitching change led to two quick outs, but a passed ball allowed the tying run to cross the plate before the side was retired, sending the game to extra innings.
 
The Cougars had scored a run in the top of the fifth when Michele Alexander (Tinley Park, IL/Andrew) led off with a walk. Haley Kalinichenko (Scottsdale, AZ/Horizon) then reached on an error, getting Alexander to third and forcing the issue. Hannah Solyom (Lombard, IL/Walther Lutheran) hit a sacrifice fly to leftfield scoring Alexander with one out, but Concordia was unable to extend the lead with a runner on base.
 
In the top of the sixth, the Cougars added to their tally as they loaded the bases with one out. Alexander flied out to centerfield driving in a run for a 2-0 lead. Unfortunately, the Vikings would tie the game in the seventh and then won the game in the bottom of the ninth inning.
 
In game two, Meghan Johnson (Glendale Heights, IL/Glenbard West) started in the circle after pitching the final three innings of the first game. North Park scored the opening run of the game in the first inning, but Concordia equalized in the third. Amber Mescall (Norridge, IL/Ridgewood) led off with a single to left and was moved to second by a sacrifice bunt by Solyom. Johnson singled in Mescall to even the game at one apiece. However, the Vikings came back in the bottom of the inning to score four runs on four hits and set the score at 5-1, which was also the final score of game two.
 
The Cougars return to the diamond on Saturday, April 19. It is a return to the NACC schedule as they travel to the Milwaukee School of Engineering for a doubleheader.