Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 April 5, 2016 - After 17 games in the books for the 2016 season, the Concordia-Chicago Cougars finally played on their home field this afternoon. They welcomed the Marian University Sabres to River Forest, three days after the originally scheduled games were postponed by a late blast of wintry weather. The Cougars were in search of two wins after splitting with MSOE on Sunday, and they accomplished the feat - but not without some extra effort. CUC outlasted Marian 3-2 in 10 innings of the opener before having an easier time in the nightcap with an 11-2 victory.

In game one, Marian fired the first shot in the second inning. After a leadoff single, CUC starter Eric Palmer (Melrose Park, IL/West Leyden) struck out the next two batters. However, a catcher's interference and a walk loaded the bases before Jake Falish poked a single through the right side. The uprising was stopped there as Palmer coaxed the next batter to hit a ground ball to second base for the force play.

The Cougars retaliated in the third. Joe Silva (Arlington Heights, IL/Hersey) led off with a double for CUC's first hit. Bryan VanDuser (Plainfield, IL/Plainfield North) and Mitch Wilson (Oswego, IL/H.S.) followed with walks to load the bases. Shortstop Andrew Massey (Chicago, IL/St. Rita) was next, and his chopper down the line was knocked down by the third baseman, but the play went for an infield hit as the tying run scored. Brent Spohr (Ingleside, IL/Grant Community) then knocked in the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly to center.   

The score remained 2-1 through seven innings, highlighted by Palmer doing some magician's work in the fifth. Marian loaded the bases with no out and the 3-4-5 hitters coming up. Palmer bore down and got the first out on a foul pop to first base. He then fanned the next two batters, the first looking and the second swinging, to keep the Cougars in the lead.

Marian finally evened the score at 2-2 in the eighth as Mitchell Buss doubled to the leftfield wall. However, reliever Brian Musielak (Chicago, IL/St. Rita) retired the next two batters on pop-ups to keep the Sabres at bay. 

Concordia-Chicago missed an opportunity to win in the ninth but came through in the tenth. Massey led off with a single for his second hit of the game. After an out, Massey stole second base. That brought up catcher Kevin Coppin (Lisle, IL/H.S.), who had just entered the game a few innings prior. Coppin fell behind in the count before reaching out to poke a 1-2 pitch the opposite way down the leftfield line. Massey raced around third and scored without a throw as the Cougars walked off with the first-game victory.

The Cougars came out for game two and put the pressure on from the start. VanDuser led off with a single and would score on a wild pitch. Some more wildness by the Sabres' pitcher would get the Cougars a second run as Silva's infield grounder scored Wilson who had reached base after being hit by a pitch.

A three-run third inning began to break the game open. A double, walk and bunt single loaded the bases. With one out, Grant Davis (Morris, IL/Morris Community) cleared the bases with a rocket to left-center that went for a triple and a 5-0 lead.

A triple figured in CUC's scoring in the fourth inning. With Keegan Tyrell (Joliet, IL/Joliet Catholic Academy) ?on base via a single, Wilson golfed a pitch to deep rightfield that hit the fence on the fly and caromed toward center. By the time the ball was retrieved, Wilson was on third with a triple as Tyrell crossed the plate.  Massey then brought in Wilson with a grounder to shortstop, and the Cougars had an 8-0 lead.

Marian scored their only runs of game two in the sixth as Adam Ryan hit a towering two-run homer to right-center. However, the Cougars answered in the botrtom of the inning with three tuns. VanDuser doubled home a run, and Massey drove home another run with a sacrifice fly. A third run scored on an infield error.

Mike Formella (Homer Glen, IL/Lockport Township) easily picked up his fourth win of the season, allowing only the two runs (unearned) in his six innings of work. The righthander allowed just two hits and two walks while striking out four. Chaz Schmidt (Twin LAkes, WI/Wilmont Union), Rob Lock (Chicago, IL/St. Ignatius) and Petar Arbov (Elk Grove Village, IL/Elk Grove) closed out the game, each with an inning of work.

The Cougars (13-6, 3-1 NACC) will return to action on Saturday when they host Aurora University for two games, beginning at noon.