March 28, 2015 - It was a day of extremes at Kapco Field in Mequon, WI as the Concordia-Chicago Cougars and Concordia Wisconsin Falcons opened up the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference season on a sunny but chilly day. Game one belonged to the Cougars as they pounded out 18 hits in an easy 16-7 victory. However, game two saw the Falcons' Carter Buuck blank the Cougars on three hits as CUW salvaged the split with a 2-0 win.

The Falcons opened the scoring in the first inning of game one with consecutive two-out doubles, but the Cougars' bats warmed up in the third and began their assault on the CUW pitching staff. Mitch Wilson (Oswego, IL/H.S.) worked a leadoff walk and scored on singles by Rich Santarelli (Homer Glen, IL/Chicago Christian) and Will Randerson (Combined Locks, WI/Kimberly). Steve Zubrzycki (McHenry, IL/Marian Central) then put down a perfect bunt to load the bases. Brendan Klein (St. Charles, MO/Lutheran St. Charles) hit an infield chopper with the only play at first base as Santarelli scored to make it a 2-1 game. Before the inning was over, Carlos Olavarria (Rosemont, IL/East Leyden) and Doug Matthews (Lockport, IL/Lockport Township) delivered two-run, bases-loaded singles to up the Cougars' lead to 6-1.

Concordia Wisconsin added single runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings, but the CUC bats enabled them to maintain a safe distance from their pursuers. Joe Silva (Arlington Heights, IL/Hersey) and Olavarria singled home runs as part of a four-run fourth, and Santarelli drove home a pair of runs in the sixth to make it a 12-4 game. 

In the seventh, Olavarria tripled for his fifth hit of the game and the Cougars' first extra-base hit. The triple scored Silva, and Olavarria scored moments later on a groundout. CUC's final two runs scored on doubles by Thomas Gier (Fox Lake, IL/Grant Community) and Wilson.

Cody Caballero (Lemont, IL/H.S.) battled through five innings to pick up his second win of the season. The southpaw allowed four runs on 10 hits while striking out five. Caballero received relief help from Adam Schmitt (Bartonville, IL/Limestone), Matt Swanson (DesPlaines, IL/Maine West) and Brian Musielak (Chicago, IL/Brother Rice).

In game two, Nick Barnhill (Normal, IL/Normal West) made the start on the mound and allowed five hits through four innings. The lone run off Barnhill came in the first as Kyle Hegeman's two-out single scored Joel Sharon.

C.J. Selner (Milwaukee, WI/Milwaukee Lutheran) pitched the final four innings for the Cougars and allowed two hits. One of those hits, a solo homer by Isaac Tewes, came leading off the eighth. Selner struck out four in his four innings of work.

The Cougars' strong pitching was not enough as Buuck was locked in fron the start. The freshman southpaw retired the first 18 CUC batters before Klein singled just past the diving first baseman leading off the seventh. Klein was sacrificed to second, but Buuck came back to retire Silva and Olavarria to end the inning.

Concordia-Chicago squandered a better chance in the eighth. Gier singled, and pinch-runner Kevin Garvey (Brookfield, IL/Riverside-Brookfield) advanced to second on Matthews' single to center.But Buuck came back to retire the next three batters and keep the score at 1-0 before Tewes' homer provided the insurance run. Buuck finished up his complete game with a tidy 99 pitches, striking out 11 batters including the final two batters of the game.

The Cougars (8-10) will travel to Sauget, IL on Monday afternoon for a doubleheader against Webster University.