The Concordia University Chicago baseball team (10-15) dropped a nail-biter at home on Saturday to the Benedictine University Eagles (19-6) by a final score of 2-1.

In his first start of the season, Zach Litke (Oak Lawn, Ill.) was brilliant. The junior went the distance and allowed just one earned on six hits. He struck out five and issued two free passes on 117 pitches, completely cooling down an offense that had scored 44 runs over their four previous games. 

After the Eagles pushed across the first run of the game in the top of the fifth, the Cougars immediately answered in the bottom half. Sophomore Bryce Vincent (Algonquin, Ill.) got things started with a base hit to left and advanced to third on a single from junior Matthew Uba (Darien, Ill.). Sophomore Caleb Anderson (Plainfield, Ill.) followed with an RBI fielder's choice, bringing home the only Cougar run of the day to tie things up at one. 

Senior Brody Mariotti (Yorktown, Ill.) appeared to untie the game in the seventh with a massive blast down the left field line that was called foul by the home plate umpire. The call looked to be incorrect, but the decision was upheld after discussion. 

An unearned run crossed the plate for the Eagles in the top of the ninth before the Cougars went down in order in the bottom half as Benedictine escaped with their 13th victory in a row.

The two teams will be back at it tomorrow in Lisle, Ill. for a doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled for noon, and coverage will be available on the Benedictine Athletics website.