April 30, 2015 – It was a chilly, windy, overcast 45-degree day in Milwaukee on the campus of Alverno College as the Concordia-Chicago Cougars played their first round Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference tournament game on Thursday. CUC got out to a fast start, but a quick turn of momentum in the sixth inning saw Dominican University come back to take a 6-4 win from the Cougars.
 
The Cougar bats started quickly as leadoff batter Stefanie D'Anna (LaGrange Park, IL/Lyons Township) led off the first inning with a single and was moved along by Allison Kruk (Elgin, IL/St. Edward) with a sacrifice. Meghan Johnson (Glendale Heights, IL/Glenbard West) then singled her home for the early lead.  In the second inning, Adriana Cura (Romeoville, IL/Plainfield South) added to the lead as she smashed a 220-foot homer to dead centerfield for a two-run cushion.
 
Things were quiet for a couple innings until the bottom of the fifth, Allie Bochat (Crystal Lake, IL/Crystal Lake South) singled up the middle with one out. Jenni Jensen (Chicago, IL/Luther North) and Michele Alexander (Tinley Park, IL/Andrew) both singled to load the bases and force a Stars' pitching change. Salata reached on an error and made it to second base as two runs came across for a 4-0 lead. Unfortunately, in the sixth inning, Dominican scored six runs including three after two were out to take the lead and  make the final score 6-4.

Freshman Courtney Pepper (South Bend, IN/Penn) started on the mound with five shutout innings before trouble in the 6^th. Overall, she pitched five and a third innings allowing only four hits and three walks. Johnson and Alicia Salata (Bartlett, IL/H.S.) finished the game in the circle.
 
Senior Emmy Vowell (Peotone, IL/H.S.) said about being in the conference tournament her final year, "I think this is one of the most exciting things that could have happened for not only myself, but for the team. I could not be more proud of all of the girls for how hard everyone has worked to make it to this point. Endless hours of practice, the frustration working the process, the blood, the sweat, the tears, and all the bumps and bruises along the way have all been worth it in the end. I have never been part of a squad that puts everything they have on the field regardless of how stressed they are, how tired they may be, or the amount of pain they're in."

The fourth-seeded Cougars' next game is at 9 a.m. on Friday back at Alverno Field. They will play sixth-seeded Edgewood College in an elimination game. If they win, CUC plays again at 1 p.m.