March 31, 2016 - Off to the best start in school history, the Concordia University Chicago Softball team had a long layoff to think about their successes and ways to improve. They would not disappoint in their home opener today against the North Central Cardinals from River Forest. CUC would match the program best 10 wins in a row with a 1-0 win in game one. The streak would though be snapped in a much higher scoring affair by a final score of 8-7 in which three home runs were hit. 

Game one would be a fantastic classic pitchers duel. Alicia Salata (Bartlett, IL, Bartlett) would take to the circle for the Cougars in game one. She would make quick work of the Cardinals in the top half of the first highlighted by a strike out looking. CUC would get their lone run of the game in the bottom half of the first. Melissa Balkema (Saint John, IN, Hanover Central) would pick up right where she left off with a one out double. She would advance two pitches later on a wild pitch to third. She would then score two pitches later once again when the ball would sneak past the catcher and she would slide just under the tag to score from third. 

Innings 2-3-4 would be quiet and very quick for both teams with each managing just one hit. The end of the fourth for NCC would be highlighted by a fantastic play by Stefanie D'Anna (LaGrange Park, IL, Lyons Township) ranging to her left and throwing from her knees to first to end the inning. North Central would begin to apply pressure in the top of the fifth. 

A leadoff single for the Cardinals would get the fifth started. A double would follow off of the left field wall, the lead runner would be waved all the way around from third, but a perfect Cougar relay from Courtney Pepper (South Bend, IN, Penn) to Balkema finally to Emily Owens (Naperville, IL, Neuqua Valley) would cut the potential tying run at the plate by half a step. A walk would keep the Cardinals in business, and a single would load the bases. Salata would work through the trouble getting a big strikeout swinging to end the threat in the fifth. 

Both teams would go quietly heading to the seventh. North Central still trailing 1-0 would get a leadoff single. A sac bunt would put the tying run 120 feet away at second base. A walk would put the potential go-ahead run on board. NCC would lay down another sac bunt to put the tying run just 60 feet away with two outs. The third out would not be easily earned. the ball would be hit and looked to be going up the middle for a hit, but Balkema would show off her range picking up the ground ball near second base and fire it across the diamond in time to preserve the 1-0 win.

Salata would throw a complete game shutout for CUC her second complete game of the season. She would also drop her ERA to 1.07 while improving to 3-0 on the season. CUC's winning streak would match a program best at 10 with the victory. 

Game two would be the exact opposite of a pitchers duel. Pepper would take to the circle in game two for CUC and quickly work around a leadoff walk in the first. CUC would wake up the bats quickly in the bottom half of the first. D'Anna would lead off the game as she often does with a bunt single. She would advance to second on a sac bunt, and to third on a wild pitch. Meghan Johnson (Glendale Heights, IL, Glenbard West) would walk to put runners at the corners for Allie Bochat (Crystal Lake, IL, Crystal Lake South). The senior firstbasemen would provide the offensive power for CUC. She would take a NCC 2-1 count fastball and connect on a powerful no-doubt shot over the leftcenter field wall to get the Cougar crowd on their feet and give CUC the 3-0 lead. Michele Alexander would follow with a single and advance to second with two outs. Emily Owens would plate the final run of the inning when a end of the bat shot would fall just inside the right field line, deep enough to score Alexander from second to make it 4-0.

Unfortunately for the Cougars the lead would not last long, with strong winds blowing around the softball field NCC would take advantage with a seven run second inning. With one out a walk would set the table for three straight hits for NCC with two being wind aided. They would plate three runs in the inning before the big blast would come, a grand slam over the left field fence to give the Cardinals a 7-4 lead after two. 

CUC wouldn't allow the score to stay that way for long in the bottom half of the inning. Allison Kruk (Elgin, IL, St. Edward) would draw a walk to begin the inning. With one out Balkema would single to put runners at the corners. One out later it would be Bochat stepping up to the plate again, this time with a much lower line drive blast that would again clear the wall in left field to tie the game up at seven. CUC would manage to load the bases in the inning again, but would fail to take advantage. 

The Cougars would elect to make a pitching change in the third. Julianne Nation (Oswego, IL, Oswego) would take to the circle in her first relief appearance and would continue to pitch well. This would begin a long stretch of scoreless softball once again. CUC would try to scratch the go-ahead run across in the bottom of the fifth, but strand the bases loaded for a second time in the game.

NCC would get the game deciding run in the sixth. A leadoff walk would put the Cardinals in business. Two sac bunts later, the go-ahead run would be 60 feet away. Nation would get the ground ball needed, but an unfortunate hop would allow the run to score from third. CUC would try to get a rally going in he seventh but would strand Kruk on second to snap the winning streak.

Nation would be the unfortunate recipient of the loss, her first of the season. She would only allow the one unearned run in the game and just one hit. Marita Van Dyke (Brownsburg, IN, Tri-West) would also make a short relief appearance working a scoreless seventh. Bochat would finish the game 2-4 with the two homeruns and six RBIs

The Cougars (11-2) will look to start a new winning streak on Saturday when they take on a tough Benedictine University team in the NACC opener. First pitch is slated for 12:00p.m.