Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 April 4, 2015 - The Concordia-Chicago Cougars embarked on the second half of their 2015 season this afternoon with a pair of games against Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference rival Rockford University. After going 9-11 over the first 20 games, the Cougars hoped that a steady stream of conference opponents and a home-heavy schedule (beginning with this Monday's home opener) would trigger an upsurge in the team's fortunes. Today's results were a good beginning as the Cougars rocked the Regents 12-2 in game one and then came from behind in game two to complete the sweep with a 6-5 win.
Freshman Mitch Wilson (Oswego, IL/H.S.) provided the first big hit for CUC in the top of the third in game one. After the Cougars loaded the bases on an error, bunt single and a hit batsman, Wilson pulled the first pitch down the rightfield line. The ball cleared the fence for a grand slam and a 4-0 lead. The round-tripper was Wilson's first in a CUC uniform. Rockford scored a run in the bottom of the inning, but Concordia began to pull away in the fourth. Will Randerson (Combined Locks, WI/Kimberly) led off with a double, and Jeff Von Moser (Chicago, IL/Notre Dame) singled him to third. Von Moser stole second and then followed Randerson across home plate as Brendan Klein's (St. Charles, MO/Lutheran St. Charles) singled off of the second baseman's glove. Klein would later score on Carlos Olavarria's (Rosemont, IL/East Leyden) RBI grounder for a 7-1 lead. A five-run fifth would put game one on ice for the Cougars. With one out, Randerson walked and Von Moser singled. Klein successfully squeezed to score Randerson, and Von Moser and Klein both advanced into scoring position when the pitcher threw the bunt away. Joe Silva (Arlington Heights, IL/Hersey) singled in a run, and Olavarria followed with a two-run double. Doug Matthews' (Lockport, IL/Lockport Township) single scored Olavarria and closed out the scoring. Cody Caballero (Lemont, IL/H.S.) improved to 3-1 on the season with a five-inning effort in which he allowed two runs on six hits. The southpaw struck out four and walked three. A.J. Sanchez (Oak Lawn, IL/Richards) pitched the final two innings, allowing two hits and striking out a pair of batters.
Game two looked as it could be more of the same as the Cougars shot out to a quick 2-0 lead. Silva was hit by a pitch, and Olavarria bunted for a base hit. With two out, Matthews doubled down the rightfield line to plate both runners. The lead became 4-0 in the fourth as Wilson scored on a wild pitch, and Randerson scored on Silva's two-out single.
Nick Barnhill (Normal, IL/Normal West) sailed through the first three innings but ran into trouble in the fourth.A hit batsman and two walks loaded the bases with one out for Rockford. The strike zone narrowed even more as the next three batters walked to force in runs. Head coach Adam Smith went to the bullpen for C.J. Selner (Milwaukee, WI/Milwaukee Lutheran), and Selner retired the first batter he faced on an infield fly for the second out. But Devin Standard bunted for a base hit, bringing home the tying run.
The Regents' momentum continued into the fifth inning. Cole Logemann led off with a single, and a couple of Cougar errors enabled him to come around with the lead run.
Concordia stranded the bases loaded in the sixth, and a double play halted a potential rally in the seventh. In the eighth, one-out singles by Von Moser and Klein put CUC back on the attack. An infield pop-up accounted for the second out, but Olavarria came through with a clutch single to right, scoring Von Moser and tying the game. Brent Spohr (Ingleside, IL/Grant Community) was next, and he worked the count full before delivering a single to left and scoring Klein for a 6-5 lead.
Selner held the lead over the final two innings. The Regents threatened in the eighth with a pair of two-out walks, but Selner got Logemann to fly to left to end the inning. A quick ninth inning finished it out as Selner got a grounder to third, a strikeout and a fly to center. The senior's final pitching line showed one unearned run on four hits over 5 2/3 innings with six strikeouts and two walks.
The Cougars' two wins put them at 11-11 for the season, 3-1 in conference play. Next up is the first of six home dates on CUC's schedule as they host Marian University in doubleheader action beginning at 1 p.m.
