Concordia University Chicago baseball (6-10) dropped a pair of games to the Scarlet Hawks of the Illinois Institute of Technology (7-1) by final scores of 7-5 and 5-3. They were two close battles that saw the team's trade leads, with the Scarlet Hawks emerging victorious in both games.

Game One
The day's first game began with a boom as junior Nathan Dewey (Geneva, Ill.) smacked his first career home run to give the Cougars a 1-0 lead in the second. After the Scarlet Hawks took a 2-1 lead, junior catcher Michael Zavoli (Lake Barrington, Ill.) evened things up with his second long ball of the season. 

The score remained 2-2 into the sixth, when the Scarlet Hawks scored five runs, capped off by a two-run homer that put them ahead 7-2. The Cougars were quick to strike back, with Dewey again coming up big and delivering a bases clearing double that brought the Cougars within two. This was as close as CUC got, however, as they struggled to produce base runners in the final three innings. 

Junior Zach Litke (Oak Lawn, Ill.) kept the Cougars in the game thanks to three scoreless innings in relief. He allowed just one hit and one walk while striking out three and facing only 11 batters. 

Dewey's four RBIs were a career high, and it was his first game with multiple extra base hits. Junior Howie Hatton (North Riverside, Ill.) was effective in the lead-off spot, reaching base four times. 

Game Two
The day's second game also started with a bang, as sophomore Gary Maynard (Oswego, Ill.) launched his third home run of the season over the wall in left center to put the Cougars up 1-0. The two-out damage continued in the first, with junior Matthew Uba (Darien, Ill.) delivering an RBI single that made it 2-0. 

More insurance was added in the second, thanks to a double from Hatton that scored junior Niles Gall (Oak Lawn, Ill.). The Scarlet Hawks threatened in the sixth, loading the bases with nobody out. Junior Mike Tobin (Hickory Hills, Ill.) was masterful in escaping the jam, allowing just one run to score on a sac-fly. 

The Cougars were not as fortunate in the eighth, as a two-run double by IIT knotted things up at three. That momentum carried over into the ninth, where the Scarlet Hawks scored what would become the winning run as well as an insurance run. 

Starting pitcher Chandler Kerr (Lockport, Ill.) was impressive in his five innings of work. The sophomore allowed no runs on four hits while striking out five. However, a high pitch count led to an early exit. 

Hatton again reached base three times in the second game and collected one of the team's three extra base hits. The others were the Maynard home run and a double from sophomore Colton Wallace (Hampshire, Ill.)

It's a quick turnaround for both teams as they will square off in another doubleheader tomorrow at IIT. First pitch for game one is scheduled for noon, and coverage will be available on the ITT website.