Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 May 1, 2016 - When Yogi Berra coined the phrase, "deja vu all over again," even he probably did not envision this scenario. How else to explain the Concordia-Chicago Cougars getting back-to-back hit batsmen to end the game on a walkoff winner? That was the case in game one of today's home doubleheader against Webster University as the Cougars won 4-3 in 15 innings. However, the Gorloks came back behind a strong pitching performance to gain the split with a 6-2 win in a nightcap abbreviated to seven innings.

It was Senior Day at CUC, and Eric Palmer (Melrose Park, IL/West Leyden) made the start in game one. Palmer and WU's Trey Tigart matched zeroes through the first five innings. The Gorloks finally broke through in the sixth inning against the Cougars' bullpen with three runs, the last two coming in on consecutive two-out doubles. 

The Cougars started on the comeback trail in the seventh. Mitch Wilson (Oswego, IL/H.S.) and Grant Davis (Morris, IL/Morris Community) singled to start the line moving. With one out, a potential double-play ball was bobbled to load the bases, bringing pinch-hitter Doug Matthews (Crest Hill, IL/Lockport Township) to the plate. Matthews smashed a single to left, scoring Wilson easily. Pinch-runner Keegan Tyrell (Joliet, IL/Joliet Catholic Academy) attempted to follow Wilson, but a laser of the throw from the leftfielder cut down Tyrell. Worse for CUC, the catcher came up immediately after the tag and fired to second base to catch Matthews in no-man's land. The inning ended with the Cougars getting just the one run.

Undaunted, CUC went back on the attack in the eighth. With one out, Joe Silva (Arlington Heights, IL/Hersey) walked and Andrew Massey (Chicago, IL/St. Rita) singled. Brent Spohr (Ingleside, IL/Grant Community) singled to right-center to score Silva and send pinch-runner Kevin Garvey (Brookfield, IL/Riverside-Brookfield) to third. Garvey then scored on Wilson's sacrifice fly to right, tying the game at 3-3.

There would be no more scoring for the next six innings, thanks to some fine relief work from Webster's Austin Beccue and CUC's Brian Musielak (Chicago, IL/Brother Rice). Finally, the Cougars seized their chance in the bottom of the 15th inning. Connor Brandon (Joliet, IL/Joliet Catholic Academy) led off with a pinch-double that nearly left the yard on a day where the wind was knocking down nearly anything in the air. Andrew Kroncke (St. Charles, IL/St. Charles North) then laid down a bunt, and Beccue's throw to try and catch Brandon was slightly off-target, leaving everyone safe. Kroncke took second base on defensive indifference and, with the infield in, expectations were that Webster would intentionally walk Joey Anderson (Plainfield, IL/Plainfield East) to set up a force play at the plate. Instead, Anderson was hit on the first pitch to load the bases and set the stage for Colin Bethran (Schaumburg, IL/H.S.). Before anyone could think, "Didn't the Cougars win this way against Benedictine last year?", Bethran was hit on the relief pitcher's first pitch to force in the winning run and put an end to the four-hour, 18-minute marathon. 

Webster's 11-game winning streak came to an end with the game one result, but they got to work on a new one in game two. Before the first pitch, it was agreed that the game would be limited to seven innings, due to the late starting time of 4:45 and the weather conditions. Adam Schmitt (Peoria, IL/Limestone) made quick work of the Gorloks in the top of the first, and the Cougars then struck first in the bottom of the inning. Silva tripled to the gap in right-center and scored on Massey's single to the hole at shortstop.

The Gorloks came back in the second, combining three hits, a walk and an errant pickoff throw to score twice and take a 2-1 lead. Concordia-Chicago responded with singles by Kevin Coppin (Lisle, IL/H.S.), Anderson and Bethran, with Bethran's chopper squeezing between the second baseman and shortstop to score Coppin with the tying run.

Unfortunately, Bethran's RBI ended the CUC scoring for the day. The Gorloks took the lead for good with two runs in the fourth on a Mike Golich single and a passed ball. Webster added single runs in the fifth and sixth innings to build the lead to four, and that was more than WU pitcher Johnny Lord needed. Lord pitched a complete game, scattering nine hits while striking out 10 batters including the final three of the game. By contrast to the marathon in game one, game two was completed in a snappy two hours and 10 minutes.

While Sunday's action was not part of conference play, the Cougars still marked another regular-season conference title. That came about as Aurora University swept second-place Edgewood College in a doubleheader, giving the Cougars the number one seed for the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference tournament on May 12-14. The title is the Cougars' fourth consecutive and fifth in the last six years. Concordia-Chicago is currently ranked fourth in the Midwest Region and 15th nationally for NCAA Division III.

The Cougars (27-9) will complete the regular season with a home doubleheader against Lakeland College on Friday and a makeup doubleheader at Benedictine University on Saturday.