Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 April 28, 2017 – There's always an intensity to the games when old rivals get together, but there were other reasons for the Concordia-Chicago Cougars and Benedictine Eagles going hard at each other in this afternoon's doubleheader. The Cougars were looking to move closer to clinching the number one seed for the conference tournament and keep the hot Concordia Wisconsin Falcons at bay. The Eagles entered the day in third place but still looking to lock up a tournament berth. In the end, it was the Cougars earning the sweep by scores of 8-5 and 5-4, with the nightcap providing one of CUC's more memorable late-inning comebacks in the last few years.

In game one, it was the Cougars' power hitting that proved the decisive edge. After Benedictine jumped out to a 2-0 lead off Keaton Conner, CUC wasted no time in answering off of Eagles' ace Frank Greco. Joe Silva doubled to right, and Brent Spohr golfed his sixth homer of the season over the fence in left. The energized Cougars were looking for more, and they got it as Mitch Wilson followed with a soft liner over the third baseman's head that he hustled into a double. Kevin Coppin then lifted a fly to left which saw the fielder battle the wind; the ball fell for a double as Wilson scored for a 3-2 lead.

Erik Callaghan led off the Eagles' second with a double that was also wind-aided, and Benedictine would bring him home moments later to tie the game at 3-3.  From that point, both starting pitchers settled down, although Conner's pitch count would catch up to him as head coach Mike Stawski brought Mike Formella into the game to start the fifth inning.

The score stayed at 3-3 until Benedictine's Kyle Mitter led off the sixth with a double. He moved up on a sacrifice and then came home on a sacrifice fly by Nick Severino to give the Eagles a 4-3 lead.

Once again, the Cougars answered quickly. After Greco retired the first batter, Wilson hit the first pitch from the right-hander on a line to right that cleared the fence for Wilson's fifth homer of the year. Like the first inning, the homer was not the end of the Cougars' scoring. Jacob Frank drew a two-out walk and then scored on Kevin Garcia's double down the leftfield line.

Formella shut down the visitors in the seventh and eighth innings before CUC got some insurance in the bottom of the eighth. With Wilson (single) and Frank (walk) aboard, Doug Matthews pinch-hit and got hold of a 1-0 pitch, driving it over the fence in left for his fourth round-tripper, and a slim CUC lead was now 8-4. The Eagles scratched a run off Formella in the ninth, but it was too little, too late as the Cougars claimed a hard-fought victory. Formella improved to 6-1 with his five-inning stint in relief, while his teammates handed Greco his first loss of the season in eight decisions.

It was an auspicious beginning to game two for the Cougars as the Eagles touched starter Cody Caballero for four runs in the third. The inning began with a bad-hop single, and a two-run single by Sam Kerr proved the big hit of the rally.

The Cougars' bullpen would be a major story in game two as well, as Brian Musielak entered the game in the fourth. Like Formella in game one, Musielak hurled five innings of relief, and his effort would be vital as the CUC fans hoped that the offense would make their way back into the game.

The comeback began in the sixth as Matthews led off with a towering fly down the line. The ball barely cleared the fence but did remain fair as Matthews circled the bases for his second homer of the doubleheader. One out later, Justin Rodriguez doubled, but BenU starter James Wright was able to leave him there, closing out a six-inning start in which he allowed just the one run.

A double play short-circuited a potential rally in the seventh, but the Cougars did not miss out in the eighth. Wilson singled and Matthews walked to start the line moving. Pinch-hitter Coppin was hit by the first pitch he saw, loading the bases with nobody out. The Eagles' closer came to face Rodriguez, but the Cougars' catcher turned the game around with one swing. He rifled a 1-2 pitch to the gap in left-center, and all three runners came around to tie the game. Pinch-runner Kevin Garvey moved to third on a textbook sacrifice by Connor Brandon, and the Cougars continued with the "small ball" as Brendan Klein bunted. The pitcher's only play was at first base as Garvey scored the go-ahead run.

Adam Schmitt came in to close out the game, but his first save would be a hard-earned one. The Eagles put two runners aboard on walks with one out. Schmitt then faced pinch-hitter Jimmy McLaughlin but was able to fan the left-handed hitter for the second out. Schmitt then got Julian Calixto to fly to right to cap a thrilling game-two victory and a sweep for the home team.

The Cougars (24-11, 16-2 NACC) will break for final exams week before finishing the regular season on Sunday, May 7 at Lakeland College.