April 28, 2015 - The recent barrage of runs continued today for Concordia-Chicago's baseball team. The Cougars scored in six of their eight at-bats including a six-spot in the first inning and rolled to a 14-0 win over Elmhurst College in non-conference action in River Forest. The win was the fifth straight for CUC, all coming over the last 48 hours.
Freshman Mike Formella (Homer Glen, IL/Lockport Township) struck out the side to open the game, but the Cougars' half of the inning would last significantly longer. Joe Silva (Arlington Heights, IL/Hersey) led off by going to the opposite field with a double. Kevin Coppin (Lisle, IL/H.S.) then found the hole between first and second with a single that scored Silva with the first run. Carlos Olavarria's (Rosemont, IL/East Leyden) single put runners at the corners, but Olavarria promptly moved into scoring position by stealing second. Singles by Brent Spohr (Ingleside, IL/Grant Community) and Mitch Wilson (Oswego, IL/H.S.) put the lead at 3-0, and both of them scored when Thomas Gier (Fox Lake, IL/Grant Community) laced a double to the right-center gap. Gier later scored on a throwing error by the third baseman, and the Cougars had a lead that would not be threatened. Concordia added to the lead in bits and pieces over the remained of the game. Coppin led off the second with a double and eventually scored on Spohr's sacrifice fly. In the fourth, Silva and Coppin reached on base hits and scored on Wilson's two-run single up the middle for a 9-0 lead. Wilson was involved in CUC's tenth run two innings later as he singled, stole second and scored as Doug Matthews (Crest Hill, IL/Lockport Township) grounded a single to right. The Cougars put three runs on the board in the seventh with the benefit of just one hit. A throwing error scored Jeff Von Moser (Chicago, IL/Notre Dame) who had led off with a walk. Spohr's groundout to third tallied Will Randerson (Combined Locks, WI/Kimberly) who had been hit by a pitch. Colin Bethran (Schaumburg, IL/H.S.) capped the inning with a run-scoring single to bring home Olavarria. Sophomore Joey Anderson Plainfield, IL/Plainfield South) provided the final run of the day as he led off the eighth with a triple over the first baseman's head to the rightfield
corner. Following a walk to Brian Pichardo (Fort Lauderdale, FL/St. Viator), Elmhurst turned a 5-4-3 double play as Anderson scored. Formella improved to 4-1 on the season with six strong innings. The righthander allowed just three hits and one walk while striking out six. C.J. Selner (Milwaukee, WI/Milwaukee Lutheran) finished up and earned a three-inning save, allowing three hits and fanning three. The Cougars' defense provided solid support by turning three double plays.
The Cougars (24-13) will host Benedictine University in a doubleheader on Saturday with game one beginning at noon. The regular-season conference title will be on the line as CUC and Marian University are currently tied for first place.
