CLERMONT, Fla. -- After a day off yesterday, the Concordia-Chicago softball team got back into the swing of things today as they continued their spring break haul of games. CUC opened up the day with a back and forth affair against the Sage Gators, before outlasting the Gorloks of Webster University in a shutout rubber match.

Game One vs. Sage - L, 6-4

Inside the Box Score:

• Only four Cougars produced hits against Sage this morning, as freshman Becky Pieroni once again led the offense going 2-for-4 with three RBI's and one run scored.
• Taylor Kulaszewicz had a base hit which proved to be an RBI single for the Cougars.
• Sydney Paulauskis-Lauher went 1-for-4 and scored a run. 
• From the circle, Kate Roberts and Hailey Howard combined for four strikeouts.

How it Happened:

• CUC played chase all afternoon to The Sage Colleges, as the Gators jumped on the board first with a one-run inning in the second.
• Despite falling behind, the Cougars punched right back with a run of their own, thanks to Kulaszewicz's single to center field that drove in Pieroni.
• Now a 1-1 game, the Gators tacked on another run in the top of the third, after a CUC error and a double to the left center wall.
• Trailing by one again, this time at 2-1, Concordia went back to work in the bottom half of the frame. Paulauskis-Lauher scratched her way on with two outs, before Pieroni hit her first double of the day to easily score the sophomore base runner, and once again tie the game up at two runs apiece.
• Sage distanced itself in the top of the fourth after scoring two runs to establish a 4-2 lead, and would hold the Cougar offense off in the bottom half of the inning to stop the rally for the first time since the start of the game. 
• Finally, in the bottom of the fifth, the Cougars found their response and put up a two-spot behind a Sydney Sterrett walk, a Paulauskis-Lauher single and Pieroni's second double of the day.
• With the game tied at 4-4, the Gators went on to tack on two more runs over the final two innings of play to ultimately win the match up, 6-4. 

Game Two vs. Webster - W, 1-0

Inside the Box Score:

• Holly Bathje had her second complete-game, winning, effort of the season today, throwing 75 pitches through seven innings and allowing just three hits on the day. Bathje also had a hit of her own from the batter's box, securing one of CUC's six hits against the Gorloks.
• Sterrett and Paulauskis-Lauher led game two's offense, each getting two hits apiece.
• Pieroni had the game-winning RBI, after a hard hit to the shortstop was too hot to handle, allowing Nikita Robbins to safely cross the plate.

How it Happened:

• Bathje got right to work against the Gorloks, producing three fly outs all in the first inning.
• Webster threatened to bust things open in the second, as a walk and a single put runners on first and second, but another pop up to the infield allowed the Cougars to escape the jam unscathed.
• CUC had a shot at scoring in the top of the third, with Robbins drawing a walk and Sterrett laying down a bunt single that moved Robbins to third. Sterrett would eventually steal the next pitch, placing both runners in scoring position with two outs. However, the Gorloks induced a ground out and kept the game scoreless. 
• Both teams nearly broke through in the fifth, as Concordia had runners on first and third, while Webster had Gorloks on first and second, though neither team was able to capitalize.
• As it came down to the last inning before extras, Robbins gave the Cougars a spark with a one-out single to left field. Sterrett followed suit with a single to shortstop before Pieroni delivered the swing that would score Robbins and plate CUC's winning run. 
• With the Gorloks in the home team dugout, Bathje had to deliver three more outs to secure the second win of her sophomore year. And she did just that with three straight outs to earn Concordia its second win of the season. 

Up Next:

• The Cougars take tomorrow off before rounding out their spring break trip with games against Ohio Wesleyan and Alfred University. Friday's game one is schedule for 11:30 a.m. (EST). 

Shut out. Rubber match. Win. pic.twitter.com/BurRd52v0a

— CUC Softball (@cucsoftball) March 11, 2020