MEQUON, Wis. – After forcing a winner take all game in the 2019 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference tournament, the No. 1 Concordia Chicago baseball team took to the field today against the Aurora University Spartans. CUC would put good swings on balls, but with the wind blowing in were unable to overcome a five run Aurora first, falling by a 5-2 score. CUC will now await the NCAA selection tomorrow at 11:00am to find out the next stop this season.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
- Bryan VanDuser and Brody Mariottti had two hits each.
- Zach Litke had a career day on the hill. He came on in the second inning and threw seven innings of shutout ball, allowing just three hits while striking out four.
- Mike Tobin threw another inning of scoreless relief. He is now unscored on in his last 12 innings of work.
Aurora did all of their scoring in the top of the first. A leadoff single opened the inning. One out later a double put two in scoring position. A hit batter, a single and a double followed to make it 3-0. CUC then made their first error of the day allowing another to score. It then became 5-0 on a single to left center.
Litke came on in the second and sat the Spartans down in order He did the same in the third and was able to work around a walk and a single in the fourth to keep it 5-0. Litke worked out of a two on jam in the seventh and before siting the Spartans down in order in the eighth to put the finishing touches on his impressive day.
The Cougars got their only runs in the bottom of the seventh. Mariotti led off the inning with a single to center.
Connor Brandon followed with a walk.
Brayden Benavides kept the train going with an infield single to short. CUC got on the board with a sac fly to center by
Abelardo Paz Agudelo. With two outs and runners at the corners
Matt Fauth singled to right center to make it 5-2 but was thrown out trying to take second when the throw went to third to end the inning.
Tobin worked a clean ninth, but the Cougars were unable to get anything going in the bottom half falling 5-2.
The Cougars will now await the NCAA committee's decision on who and where they will play the 2019 NCAA Regional. New this season is a selection show that will be aired live. Links will be made available later tonight.
