| Box Score 2
May 16, 2015 - A season of extremes for the Concordia-Chicago baseball team was demonstrated on Saturday, the final day of the Cougars' 2015 season. Within the space of about four hours at the NCAA Division III Midwest Regional, the Cougars experienced the euphoria of eliminating the defending D-III national champion University of Wisconsin-Whitewater 8-7 but then seeing their own season ended at the hands of host University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse by a 10-3 score.

Senior C.J. Selner (Milwaukee, WI/Milwaukee Lutheran) made the start against the Warhawks, third-ranked in the country and the top seed in the regional. Selner retired the first four batters but was then touched for four runs on a walk followed by five consecutive hits. Freshman Alex Meyers (Edwardsville, IL/H.S.) came on in relief and was able to put out the fire. Over the next four innings, Meyers limited UWW to a solo homer by Mikole Pierce in the fifth. However, when the Warhawks put two more on the board in the seventh, CUC head coach Adam Smith made the call for Nick Barnhill (Normal, IL/Normal West). The junior retired the next two batters, and the seventh inning stretch came with the Cougars looking uphill at a 7-0 mountain to climb.

Limited to four hits through the first six innings, the Cougars broke through against Warhawks' starter Mike Nompleggi in the seventh. Two walks put Doug Matthews (Crest Hill, IL/Lockport Township) and Kevin Coppin (Lisle, IL/H.S.) on base with two out. Pinch-hitter Kevin Gier (Fox Lake, IL/Grant Community) ripped a single up the middle to load the bases.  Joe Silva (Arlington Heights, IL/Hersey) then got hit on a 1-1 pitch to force in the Cougars' first run. Moments later, a throw by the catcher looked to catch Silva off-guard at first base, but the throw trickled away and allowed Coppin to score.

The Cougars inched a run closer in the eighth. Steve Zubrzycki (McHenry, IL/Marian Central Catholic) led off with a double and eventually scored when the relay on a potential double-play ball was thrown wildly to first. Still, the Cougars faced a momentous task when they came to bat in the bottom of the ninth, trailing 7-3.

Brendan Klein (St. Charles, MO/Lutheran St. Charles), who had entered the game only two innings prior, lined a single to right. The UWW reliever retired the next two batters however, leaving the Cougars one out with which to work.  The CUC batters remained patient, and their patience was rewarded as Zubrzycki, Carlos Olavarria (Rosemont, IL/East Leyden) and Brent Spohr (Ingleside, IL/Grant Community) drawing walks off the right-handed sidearmer, Spohr's forcing in a run. The Warhawks brought in a lefty to face Mitch Wilson (Oswego, IL/H.S.) but, with a 1-1 count, the pitcher made a throw to first with the first baseman well off the bag. A balk was called, allowing Olavarria to score and moving Zubrzycki and Olavarria into scoring position. On the very next pitch, Wilson drilled a gapper to left-center that one-hopped the fence as the runners came in to tie the game. Before the crowd had quieted from Wilson's big hit, Matthews slapped a 1-0 pitch back up the middle. The throw to home from the centerfielder was off to the first base side of the plate, and Wilson slid into home plate as a raucous celebration ensued.

While the victory marked yet another thrilling chapter in the recent history of the "Cardiac Cougars", the team could not celebrate this one for very long. The regional schedule, revised earlier because of weather issues, pitted the Cougars against UW-LaCrosse with just 45 minutes to get ready. UW-LaCrosse was the second seed in the regional and 20^th-ranked in the country.

Concordia-Chicago was the home team despite playing on UW-LaCrosse's home field at Copeland Park, but that did not matter to the Eagles as they jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead on three one-out singles. However, the Cougars matched that run in the bottom of the first as Jeff Von Moser (Chicago, IL/Notre Dame) and Olavarria singled. Olavarria then stole second, and an errant throw into short centerfield allowed Von Moser to come home.

UW-LaCrosse was unfazed as they came back to score single runs in the second and third innings and three in the fourth to take a 6-1 lead. The Eagles rapped out 10 hits over the first four innings including a solo homer by Ben Morgan in the third and consecutive doubles by Alex Cordova and Taylor Kohlwey in the fourth.

The Cougars came to bat in the sixth mounting the charge for another comeback. Olavarria led off with a double to the left-center gap, and Spohr followed with a single. Wilson then looped a single in front of the rightfielder, and the Cougars had a run with still nobody out. Colin Bethran (Schaumburg, IL/H.S.) then lined a double inside the leftfield line and, suddenly, the Cougars were within 6-3 with two runners in scoring position. Following a mound visit, UWL starter Ben Cejka faced Rich Santarelli (Homer Glen, IL/Chicago Christian). Cejka's first pitch was scorched by Santarelli but was snared by a lunging Eric Vatch at third base. His throw to second was in time to double Bethran off, and the great defensive play halted the Cougars' momentum and let the Eagles retain a three-run lead.

The Eagles put the game away with four runs in the eighth. Cordova and Kohlwey contributed hits to this rally as well, and Bryce Barsness added a key two-run single.
This time, the Cougars had no miracle rally in the ninth. Von Moser reached on a one-out walk, but fly balls by Zubrzycki and Olavarria ended a season in which the Cougars played .857 ball (24-4) over the final six weeks to finish 33-15.