River Forest, Ill. – The Concordia University Chicago softball team (0-2) competed in their first day of competition since last spring as they played two games against Augustana University and the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. The teams all met at a neutral site in Peoria, Ill. during the Mount Mary Collegiate Slugger Series.
 
They started off the day with the Augustana Vikings, who already opened up their season on Feb. 25. The Cougars started off the first inning strong as junior Sydney Paulauskis-Lauher (Chatham, Ill.) got on base with a single. From there, CUC continued to build off her hit as sophomore Becky Pieroni (Montgomery, Ill.) was walked. Then, freshman Annabella Archuletta (Pueblo, Colo.) registered her first collegiate hit on her first at-bat. Paulauskis-Lauher was able to run homoe, resulting in Archuletta's first career RBI.
 
This strong start dwindled for the Cougars as they headed through the rest of the game. Pieroni made an impact in the third inning with a homerun, but that was the rest of the scoring for CUC in that game. They ultimately lost to the Vikings 2-8.
 
Once that game ended, they went right back onto the field to face Wisconsin-Stevens Point. The Pointers came out strong against the Cougars, grabbing a run in the first inning. UWSP was able to register nine runs before CUC could score one. This run came in from Paulauskis-Lauher, who made it home after Archuletta hit a single. Although the Cougars tried to come back in the sixth inning, it wasn't enough to keep the game from ending due to the mercy rule. CUC lost in six with a score of 9-1.
 
The Cougars will be back in action this Sunday, Feb. 28, as they travel to Jacksonville, Ill., for two games. They will play Simpson College at 1 p.m. and Illinois College at 3 p.m.