River Forest, Ill.- Concordia University Chicago (40-8; 21-1) took on Baldwin Wallace (27-15; 14-4) in the NCAA Regional Championship. For CUC this would count as an elimination game since they dropped the previous matchup between the two teams 10-8. Although the Yellow Jackets came into the tournament on a four-game losing streak, they had shown no signs of slump in the regional, but in a game that somehow outscored the first meeting between the two, CUC found a way to knock off Baldwin Wallace 14-13.
Inside the Box Score:
• BW and CUC combined for 35 hits, and 27 runs in ten innings of play.
• Both teams combined for 13 extra base hits.
• Mercado (3-4) scored four runs, had five RBI's and hit two home runs to pace the Cougars.
Baldwin Wallace would come out firing on all cylinders and score in the first inning. CUC would take an inning to get accommodated but would tie it up in the second inning after a
Mateo Calle solo home run to the opposite field.
In the third inning, the Yellow Jackets broke open a four-run lead in large part to an Alex Ludwick three-run homer. His second homer run of the tournament put Baldwin Wallace ahead 5-1. CUC answered with four straight hits, headlined by a
Keegan Tyrell double, and capped with a
Mateo Calle sacrifice fly to cut the lead to 5-4.
The next couple of innings went back and forth. Baldwin-Wallace put up three runs after multiple walks and scattered singles.
Jose Mercado responded with a moonshot home run that would score three and bring the deficit back to one. Calle added an RBI single of his own, scoring Tyrell and tying the game at 8-8.
Double-digit runs were hit for the first time in the next inning. On the verge of a three-up, three-down inning, Baldwin Wallace pieced together a Ludwick single, a Kyle Pennington double and a Philip Wells home run to extend the lead back to three at 11-8.
Once again, Mercado would keep the CUC pulse beating with his second home run of the game onto Division Street. His fifth RBI would bring Concordia-Chicago back to within 11-10.
Moving forward to the top of the sixth inning, the Yellow Jackets would put two more runs on the scoreboard and expand their lead to 13-10. In the bottom half, Tyrell singled in Mercado and then scored on a two-RBI double by
Bryan VanDuser to knot it back up at 13-13.
Unsung hero
Nick Brummel would pitch two straight perfect innings to help the Cougars claw back and going into the ninth inning, the score was still tied 13-13.
Nine innings would not be enough but in the bottom of the tenth, a walk to VanDuser and single by Brandon had runners on the corners with two out. Pinch-hitter
Justin Rodriguez kept the CUC season alive with a line shot off the shortstop's glove, and his desperation throw to first would not be in time. Concordia-Chicago would fight to see another day with a 14-13 victory in ten innings.
CUC will face off against Baldwin-Wallace in a winner-take-all matchup for the Regional Championship and a bid to the Super Regional.
