April 14, 2015 – The Cougars hosted the North Park Vikings in non-conference action on Tuesday. It was a warm sunny day as the first game of the afternoon saw CUC rout the opposition 15-3 in five innings while hitting two grand slams. The second game saw the Cougars maul the Vikings 10-2 in six innings for the sweep while senior Jenni Jensen set the career doubles record. The Cougars are on a ten-game winning streak and moved their record to 14-13 on the season.
 
Head Coach Sarah O'Malley-Fisher said, "Again, it was a total team effort and we were able to make some adjustments in the lineup without missing a beat. The girls are working hard as a team and supporting each other as we work to continue improving throughout the season."
 
In game one, freshman Julianne Nation (Oswego, IL/H.S.) pitched a complete game, allowing three runs. However, the run support was spectacular. In the first inning with one out and the bases loaded, Jenni Jensen (Chicago, IL/Luther North) hit a grand slam to leftfield for the quick 4-0 lead. In the top of the second inning, a two-run homer for North Park cut the lead in half.
 
Lightning struck a second time as the Cougars came to bat In the bottom of the second. With one out and the bases loaded, Meghan Johnson (Glendale Heights, IL/Glenbard West) hit a towering shot over the centerfield fence for the Cougars' second four-bagger in as many innings. After Allie Bochat (Crystal Lake, IL/Crystal Lake South) made it on board, the Viking made a pitching change, but that did not slow down the Cougars' offense. Jensen moved Bochat to second and then Michele Alexander (Tinley Park, IL/Andrew).singled her home to make the score 9-2 after two innings.
 
In the third inning, the bases were loaded with no outs. This time, Allison Kruk (Elgin, IL/St Edward) singled sharply to left to drive in two runs. Johnson was hit by a pitch to load the bases again. Jensen then doubled in two more runs and set the CUC career record with the 32nd two-bagger over her four years. Alexander capped the rally with an RBI single to make it 14-2 after three innings.

Asked about her career doubles mark after the game, Jensen replied, "When you look at the team records and see someone like Stephanie Katzenberger ('98) all over the record book, it makes you want to put your name on the list. It is an honor to be there with those girls and I hope that, in the future, another player is inspired to work hard."
 
The Cougars' final tally came in the fourth when Vowell reached second base with one out and scored on Kruk's two-out single.The Vikings put a run on the board in the fifth but it was too little, too late for the visitors as the Cougars reached the .500 mark for the season after starting out 0-10.
 
In game two, freshman Courtney Pepper (South Bend, IN/Penn) and junior Alicia Salata (Bartlett, IL/H.S.) split six innings of work, allowing only two runs on six hits. They also got good run support as the Cougars scored four runs in the bottom of the first inning. The Vikings managed a run apiece in the third and in the sixth to cut the lead to 4-2.
 
In the bottom of the sixth, the CUC bats came alive again as Vowell pinch hit to lead off the inning and hit a solo homerun. With one out, Johnson singled in D'Anna. Bochat was hit by a pitch and then Jensen hit a three-run shot to put the Cougars up 9-2 and force a pitching change. With two outs, Salata singled and then Emily Owens (Naperville, IL/Neuqua Valley) singled, moving her to third base. Haley Kalinichenko (Scottsdale, AZ/Horizon) re-entered the game to be the tenth different batter in the inning. Kalinichenko singled, scoring Salata and ending the game via the eight-run rule 10-2 for a Cougar sweep.
 
There were some stellar defensive plays in the doubleheader. One that stands out was by freshman second baseman Stefanie D'Anna (LaGrange Park, IL/Lyons Township) as she ranged into foul territory behind first base, turned, and threw a rocket to second base and gun down the runner who had the jump from first base. Another was by Alexander at third as she fielded a grounder, retreated to step on third for the force out, and then was able to throw out the batter at first base for the double play. Also of note, Kalinichenko provided some steady rightfield play in game one, accounting for five of the Cougars' 15 putouts.

The Cougars next game is on Thursday as they travel to non-conference opponent Elmhurst College. The games are at 3 and 5 p.m. The Cougars return home for doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday with Senior Day being celebrated on Sunday..