May 9, 2014 - Two years ago at the Northern Athletics Conference tournament, Concordia-Chicago set a record for runs scored with 22 in a game versus Dominican University. Tonight, to use the words of Yogi Berra, it was "deja vu all over again" as the Cougars hit the Stars with a six-run second and an 11-run fourth en route to a 20-1 win in seven innings. The win puts the Cougars (36-5) into the championship round of the tournament at 1:00 Saturday afternoon.
The Cougars came out swinging the bats, and the wind gave them a little assistance in the first with one out. Will Randerson (Combined Locks, WI/Kimberly) hit a high fly to medium center that the wind played havoc with as the fielders tried to stay with it. The ball fell for a double, and Randerson scored one pitch later as Carlos Olavarria (Rosemont, IL/East Leyden) ripped a single up the middle. That opening salvo set the stage for the second inning in which the Cougars batted around and scored a half-dozen times. Colin Bethran (Schaumburg, IL/H.S.) led off with a drive to right-center that rolled to the wall and went for a triple. Rich Santarelli (Homer Glen, IL/Chicago Christian) then singled on a 2-0 count to score Bethran. Dan Lo Dolce (Northlake, IL/Walther Lutheran) then lined to the gap in left-center for a double that brough Santarelli all the way around. One out later, Randerson singled home Lo Dolce with a liner down the rightfield line. Two walks loaded the bases. and the Cougarws would cash in with a run-scoring single by Kyle Huber (Chicago, IL/Lane Tech) and a two-run single by Dan Eichholzer (Elwood, IL/Joliet Township). Concordia went quietly in the third but got the engines roaring again in the fourth. A walk to Randerson and a bunt single by Olavarria set the stage for Thomas Gier's (Fox Lake, IL/Grant Community) RBI single to left. An error loaded the bases again, and Eichholzer delivered his second two-run single in two innings to make the score 10-0. Over the next few minutes, Santarelli and Steve Zubrzycki (McHenry, IL/Marian Central Catholic) drove home runs, and Randerson singled with the bases loaded for two more tallies. Olavarria then knocked out his third homer of the season with two men aboard, making it a 10-run inning. The Cougars added one more in the inning on Eichholzer's two-out double, his fifth RBI of the game to give CUC an 18-0 lead. Both coaches used their benches liberally over the final few innings, and Eric Jensen (Niles, IL/Niles West) took advantage with a two-run single for the Cougars 19th and 20th runs in the bottom of the fifth. C.J. Selner (Milwaukee, WI/Milwaukee Lutheran) took advantage of the offensive support to earn his team-leading sixth victory of the season. Selner went the distance, allowing just an unearned run in the seventh. He struck out three and walked one while allowing four hits.
Talking about the Cougars' offensive attack, head coach Adam Smith said, "I was very proud of our approach. I challenged our guys after last night (a 2-1 win over Edgewood College), and they played a complete game tonight." The Cougars will play either third-seeded Concordia University Wisconsin or fifth-seeded Dominican in tomorrow's game. Those two teams will square off at 10:00 with the winner then having to beat the Cougars twice (the second game on Sunday if necessary). Concordia-Chicago needs to win just once to claim their second straight tournament title and third consecutive regional berth.
