Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 March 8, 2016 - When teams head south for their spring trips, they are looking to find a groove and fix issues while playing good competition to begin the season. The Concordia-Chicago softball team has found their groove in a big way over the first three days of games here in sunny Florida. The Cougars dominated game one of the day, taking down the SUNY Potsdam Bears by a score of 16-1 in five innings, The nightcap had a conference tournament feel to it with the Cougars taking down a tough Wesleyan team from Connecticut 3-2 in walkoff fashion in the bottom of the eighth inning.

In game one, the Cougars did not give the Bears a chance to ever get comfortable, knocking 17 hits around the ballpark with seven of the hits going for extra bases. Beginning in the top of the first, CUC got rolling quickly in the Florida sun. Stefanie D'Anna (LaGrange Park, IL/Lyons Township) led off the game with a single through the left side. Allie Bochat (Crystal Lake, IL/Crystal Lake South) was then walked with two away. Michele Alexander (Tinley Park, IL/Andrew) singled, driving in D'Anna, and Bochat scored as well on a throwing error by the Bears' rightfielder. Alicia Salata (Bartlett, IL/H.S.) plated the third run of the inning for CUC when she doubled home Alexander.

Meghan Johnson (Glendale Heights, IL/Glenbard West) made her second start of the trip in the circle for CUC. She allowed just one run in the first after a leadoff triple. CUC came back with three more runs in the their second at-bat. Emily Owens (Naperville, IL/Neuqua Valley) led off the second with a single up the middle. Allison Kruk (Elgin, IL/St. Edward) moved Owens to second when she executed a bunt perfectly and then beat the throw to first. Melissa Balkema (Saint John, IN/Hanover Central) started off her big day with a triple that scored both Owens and Kruk. A throwing error scored Balkema on the play. Johnson singled to get runners back on base and in turn chase the Bears' starter. Bochat then roped a double deep off the left-centerfield fence, advancing Johnson to third, but they would be stranded there in the inning.

CUC would not take their foot off of the gas going into the third. The first two batters would be retired but, with two outs, Kruk tripled over the centerfielder's head. D'Anna singled her home, then she would score when Balkema hit her second triple of the afternoon. She then scored on a wild pitch just a few pitches later. 

The fourth inning was the biggest for CUC. Bochat led off with a double down the leftfield line and Alexander walked. After the next two batters were retired, Owens stepped up and and drove the ball back up the middle scoring both Bochat and Alexander. Owens advanced to second on the throw, allowing herself to score on the following single by Kruk through the right side. Megan Strong (Bartlett, IL/St. Edward) drew a walk, and Marita Van Dyke (Brownsburg, IL/Tri-West) would step up in a pinch-hitting role to crack a single that scored two more for CUC.

Van Dyke came on in relief of Johnson in the fourth and worked two scoreless innings of relief. CUC got back-to-back doubles from Sydney Getz (St. Joseph, MI/H.S.) and Kristina Morsovillo (Earlville, IL/H.S.) put the cherry on top and scored the final run in the 16-1 win.

Game two would be much tougher for CUC. The game featured a postseason intensity to it from the opening pitch. Salata took to the circle for CUC in game two. She would not have her best stuff early but would compete and battle in one of the gutsiest Cougar pitching performances in recent memory

Wesleyan drew first blood with three hits in the first, the last being a two-run single. Salata stranded two more baserunners in the second to keep the Cougars close. CUC looked for an answer but would be held scoreless through the first two, stranding Balkema on third with one out in the first after a triple, and leaving the bases loaded in the second.

CUC got their needed answer in the third. Balkema led off with her fourth triple of the day. Johnson doubled her home to cut the Wesleyan lead in half. With one out, Alexander would walk, and with two away Getz would step up and single back up the middle to tie the game at two through three innings.

Concordia-Chicago and Wesleyan settled into a pitchers' duel from there. The Cougars had their chances in the game to finish it in regulation but would strand 14 runners on base in the game. Heading into extra innings and playing by the International tiebreaker rule that puts the last out on second base to begin the inning. Wesleyan batted in the top of the eighth. The leadoff hitter grounded the ball back to the pitcher Salata who would make a split-second decision to try and get the runner at third. Her throw would be just in time for Alexander to lay down the tag.

In the bottom half, CUC would be looking for the big walkoff celebration, and it was not long in coming. Kruk would be placed on second by rule. D'Anna lay down a perfect bunt that would be picked up by the catcher, but the throw would go wide, and Kruk scampered home for the walkoff win bringing the joyous Cougar fans to their feet and the team racing out of the dugout to celebrate the victory 3-2.

Salata went the distance for CUC in the game, pitching all eight innings and allowing just the two first inning runs on five hits while striking out six. Balkema finished with three hits in the game and four triples on the day.

The Cougars (6-1) will have a day off Wednesday to recover and relax in Florida, before they put their winning streak on the line again Thursday morning in doubleheader action again starting at 8:00 a.m. (EST)