March 3, 2015 – Following a long first day of action on Monday, the Concordia-Chicago softball team came back with their fourth and fifth games within approximately a 25-hour span when they took on the AIB College of Business and Cardinal Stritch University.

While Tuesday's results were not what the Cougars hoped for, they will continue to work hard and imrpvoe along the way. Head Coach Sarah O-Malley-Fisher said, "The three seniors have done a great job of leading the team through the long offseason and preparing them for our season. On the field, Hannah Solyom (Lombard, IL/Walther Lutheran) is swinging the bat well, Emmy Vowell (Peotone, IL/H.S.) is taking aggressive swings and making contact, and Jenni Jensen (Chicago, IL/Luther North) is playing solid defense as they are leading by example. I am glad to see the improvement they have made as players and how they are using their experience to effect the same change to the underclassmen."
 
Game 1 vs AIB College of Business (IA)
 
In the fourth game of the CUC Spring Training trip, Jensen doubled in the top of the first but was stranded. Freshman pitcher Julianne Nation (Oswego, IL/H.S.) got her first collegiate start. AIB was able to hit a home run and take a 1-0 lead they would never relinquish. In the second and third innings, the Cougars stranded two runners apiece, but were not able to get the tying run across the plate.
 
The combined Concordia-Chicago pitchers of Nation, Courtney Pepper (South Bend, IN/Penn), and Meghan Johnson (Glendale Heights, IL/Glenbard West) shut down AIB over the rest of the game.
 
In the seventh inning the Cougars mounted a strong challenge as Adriana Cura (Romeoville, IL/Plainfield South) led off with a single to left, followed by a Stefanie D'Anna (LaGrange Park, IL/Lyons Township) bunt single moving Cura to second. Hannah Solyom (Lombard, IL/Walther) sacrificed, putting runners on second and third with one out, which forced AIB to switch pitchers. Vowell then bunted, but the throw came home where Cura was controversially called out. Now CUC had second and third with two outs, but they were unable to get the tying run across the plate. The final score was 1-0 in favor of AIB.
 
Game 2 vs Cardinal Stritch
 
The second game of the day was a rematch with the Wolves of Cardinal Stritch. This game was tough as the Cougars gave up six runs on seven hits in the first two innings while hitting into an unassisted double play themselves. CUC bats were silent for much of the game and they went into the bottom of the fifth, down 10 runs.
 
Leadoff hitter Allie Bochat (Crystal Lake, IL/Crystal Lake South) nailed a home run down the left field line to try and spark a comeback. Hailey Kalinichenko (Scottsdale, AZ/Horizon) was able to single to centerfield with a strong line drive, but CUC was unable to plate more runs and the game was over.
 
The next set of games will be Friday, March 6 with a doubleheader against Southeastern University (FL) with games at 1 and 3 p.m. The games will be available to follow along on the livestats link which can be found at www.cucougars.com.