Wheaton, Ill. — The Concordia University Chicago softball team returned to action on Monday, heading to Wheaton College to take on the Thunder for a non-conference doubleheader. There wasn't much offense for CUC on the day, as the team fell 4-0 in game one and 8-3 in the finale.
Game One
The Thunder got the scoring going early in game one with three runs in the bottom of the first. They threatened to add to the lead in the second, but a force out at home followed by an infield popup got the Cougars out of the bases loaded jam.
Trailing 4-0 in the top of the fourth, senior Sydney Sterrett (Lafayette, Ind.) led off the inning with the first hit of the day for CUC. This was one of just two hits the Cougars would record in the day's first game.
The other hit came courtesy of senior Nia DeGeorge (Omaha, Neb.), who led off the sixth inning with a double to right center. Sophomore Carole Ross (Whittier, Calif.) followed with a walk, setting up the Cougar's biggest scoring threat of the day.
A strikeout, caught stealing, and popout ended the threat, however. The Cougars once again put the leadoff batter on base in the seventh, a walk by freshman Tegan Oas (Shingle Springs, Calif.), but she was eventually stranded at third when the game's final out was recorded.
Senior Kate Roberts (Pontiac, Ill.) was excellent in relief for the Cougars, allowing just one earned on five hits over 4.1 innings of work.
Game Two
Wheaton once again got on the board with a run in the first inning in game two. Much like game one, it was Sterrett who had the first hit for the Cougars; a one-out double in the third, though nothing came from it.
The fourth inning proved to be a major blow for the Cougars, as they surrendered six runs to fall behind 7-0. The majority of the damage came via a bases clearing double after four straight singles got the rally going.
The Cougars responded with a pair of runs the following inning. Junior Becky Pieroni (Montgomery, Ill.) got things started with a leadoff single, and sophomore Annabella Archuletta (Pueblo, Colo.) followed with a single of her own.
Both runners advanced on a sac-bunt by DeGeorge, and Pieroni scored on a sac-fly from junior Hailey Howard (Machesney Park, Ill.). The second run came across the plate on an error, making it a 7-2 game through five.
CUC once again threatened in the sixth. Ross led the inning off with a single and two straight walks followed, loading the bases with nobody out. A hard hit liner in the infield resulted in a double play, however, and a flyout two batters later put an end to the threat.
Sterrett added another hit in the top of the seventh and later came around to score on a single by Ross. This was the final run scored in the game, as the Cougars went on to fall 8-3.
The team will begin its conference season on Friday with a trip to Marian University. The doubleheader is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m., and coverage will be available on cucougars.com/coverage.
