May 13, 2015 - On a day where conditions looked to favor the hitters, the third of four first-round games at the Division III Midwest Regional turned out to be a classic pitchers' duel. Unfortunately for the Concordia-Chicago Cougars, however, they wound up on the short end of the 2-0 battle against Washington University of St. Louis at Copeland Park in LaCrosse, Wisconsin.

The Cougars were shut out for only the second time in 2015 (March 30 against Webster University the other) and were held to just three hits, stranding four runners for the game. Both Washington pitcher Scott Nelson and CUC's Kurt Kempema (Schaumburg, IL/H.S.) went the distance for their teams as the game was played in a brisk 1:51.

"Their pitcher threw a great game, my hat's off to him," said CUC head coach Adam Smith. "He had a great changeup and kept us off-balance. Kurt pitched great for us, but we couldn't give him the support. We had second and third twice and didn't do anything with it. This is a tough one to swallow."

Kempema had to work out of jams in the first two innings but shut the door both times, However, the Bears broke through in the third after Kempema retired the first two batters. Zack Kessinger ripped a pitch down the third-base line for a double, and Brian Cizek followed with a single the opposite way. The run scored, but rightfielder Mitch Wilson (Oswego, IL.H.S.) threw out Cizek trying to stretch the hit into a double, and the damage was limited to one run.

Following Kempema's first 1-2-3 inning in the fourth, the Bears extended their lead in the fifth. Austin Darmawan singled with one out and moved up two bases on a stolen base and a wild pitch. Chris Lowery then singled to left to score Darmawan for the 2-0 lead. 

On the other side of the coin, the Cougar hitters were spinning their wheels against Nelson. The righthander struck out six hitters over the first five innings and retired the first 17 batters he faced. Will Randerson (Combined Locks, WI/Kimberly) then cracked a one-hop screamer that went off the glove of the diving shortstop and into short centerfield. The crowd looked to the scoreboard for a few anxious seconds before the one was posted in the hits column, allowing CUC fans to exhale. Joe Silva (Arlington Heights, IL/Hersey) then drew the first walk off Nelson, and the two would move into scoring position before Nelson would get the third out on a checked swing nubber back to the mound.

The seventh inning saw the Cougars' best scoring chance go by the wayside. With one out, Brent Spohr (Ingleside, IL/Grant Community) singled up the middle. Wilson then hit a liner over the first baseman's head and down into the corner. Spohr held at third while Wilson motored into second with a double. The Cougars were a base hit away from tying the score, but Nelson got the next two outs on a strikeout and a grounder to second.

Concordia-Chicago managed just one more baserunner, a two-out walk to Silva in the eighth. Nelson would pitch a 1-2-3 ninth, the final out being made on Spohr's liner to deep left-center that was run down by the leftfielder.

The loss puts the Cougars (30-14) into an elimination game on Thursday at 1:15 against either the College of St. Scholastica or the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse.