DAVENPORT, Fla. --- Looking to build off of yesterday's victory, the Concordia University Chicago baseball team took to the turf at Northeast Sports Park for the second game of the Florida swing. The Cougars' offense pounded out 12 hits, but defensive miscues were too much to overcome in a 9-7 loss to Penn St. Abington.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
-        Christian Jacob (Scottsdale, Ariz.) led the offense with two RBIs and three hits.
-        Matthew Uba (Darien, Ill.) had three hits.
-        Brody Mariotti (Yorktown, Ind.) had two hits and reached three times.
-       Cole Carman (Littleton, Colo.) took the loss, giving up four earned over five innings while striking out three.
-       Michael Kasik (Chandler, Ariz.) and Chandler Kerr (Lockport, Ill.) were efficient in relief. The pair did not surrender an earned run.

Penn St. Abington opened the scoring in the bottom of the first. A walk and a single started the inning, then a second hit in the inning and an error allowed the first run to score. Then with two outs a single to center allowed two more to score. CUC was able to get out of the inning trailing 3-0.

CUC answered back in the next half-inning. With one out Colton Wallace (Hampshire, Ill.) singled to right-center. With two outs an error allowed the inning to continue. Uba then singled to left to load the bases. Jacob got CUC on the board with a single up the middle, scoring two.

Abington added on two more runs on three hits and two CUC errors in the second. CUC had the answer again in the third. With one out and a runner on Mariotti doubled to left-center to pull CUC within 5-3. One out later Kevin Garcia (Chicago, Ill.) doubled down the leftfield line to make it 5-4.

Concordia then pulled even in the fourth. Uba led off the inning with a single. Jacob followed with a double and Howie Hatton (North Riverside, Ill.) singled to center to tie the game. The potential go-ahead run for CUC was thrown out in the inning trying to score on a fly ball to right.

The pitchers settled in until the sixth. Josh Baar led off the inning by lifting a 1-2 pitch over the wall in left to give Abington the lead. Penn St. then added on three more in the inning on three more hits and three CUC errors.

The Cougars tried to mount a comeback in the ninth. A single and a hit by pitch put two on to open the inning. Mariotti and Wallace then drew walks to score one. Garcia then lifted a sac fly to pull the Cougars within 9-7, but a groundout to second then ended the CUC comeback.

The Cougars will return to action tomorrow morning against Nebraska Wesleyan. Opening pitch is set for 10:00 am (EST) from Northeast Regional Park. You can find links to coverage at cucougars.com/coverage.