Chicago, Ill. — The Concordia University Chicago baseball team played their first game of the year in the state of Illinois on Friday, hitting the road to take on the Vikings on North Park University. After jumping out to an early lead, the Cougars ended up falling to the Vikings by a final score of 15-3. 

Inside the Box Score

• Fifth year Brody Mariotti (Yorktown, Ind.) and junior Colton Wallace (Hampshire, Ill.) both hit solo home runs for the Cougars. It's the second home run of the year for both players. 

• Wallace provided the Cougar's other RBI with a double in his next at bat. He led the team with two hits. He got on base a third time via a walk. 

• Junior Garry Maynard (Oswego, Ill.) also had a hit.

• Starting pitcher Cole Carman (Littleton, Colo.) struck out five over five innings of work. 

The Cougars started strong, as Mariotti and Wallace both blasted solo home runs in the first inning to put the team out ahead 2-0. They added another the following inning when Wallace's double to left center scored junior Jaime Sandoval (Oak Lawn, Ill.). 

Despite the hot start, the Cougars only added one more hit the remainder of the game, a single from Maynard in the seventh. 

The Vikings got on the board in the second with a pair of runs. A four-run fifth inning put them ahead, and they added two more insurance runs in the sixth. 

Maynard's hit helped set up the Cougar's best scoring threat down the stretch of the game. Senior Nathan Dewey (Geneva, Ill.) reached on an error two batters prior, and Wallace followed with a walk. Maynard's single loaded the bases with two outs, but the Cougars were unable to chip into the 8-3 lead. 

North Park went on to score seven in the bottom half of the inning, ending the game by run rule with a grand slam to cap it off. 

The two teams will run it back Monday at CUC for the Cougar's home opener. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m., and coverage will be available at cucougars.com/coverage.