Madison, Wis. — The Concordia University Chicago baseball team earned a road split on Tuesday against the Eagles of Edgewood College. The Cougars stormed back to win game one 13-11 before narrowly falling in game two by a final of 5-3.
Game One
Senior Howie Hatton (North Riverside, Ill.) got the offense going with a two-out triple in the third, his second hit of the game. He scored the game's first run two batters later, racing home on a double steal after the Edgewood catcher threw down to second in an attempt to gun down a base stealer.
Edgewood responded with two runs of their own in the bottom half to take the lead and threatened to add more before leaving the bases loaded for the second time in as many innings.
The Cougars loaded the bases with nobody out in the fourth thanks to two infield singles and a walk, but were only able to push across the tying run. Once again Edgewood was able to answer with two more of their own in the bottom half, and they held a 4-2 lead after four.
Sophomore Elijah Hickman (Rensselaer, Ind.) cut this lead in half with a solo shot to lead off the fifth inning, the first long ball of his young career.
This took the Edgewood starter out of his rhythm, as he proceeded to hit the next two batters he faced. With both runners in scoring position following a balk, junior Colton Wallace (Hampshire, Ill.) laced a double down the left field line to put his team back ahead. Wallace would later score on a sac-fly from fellow junior Christian Jacob (Scottsdale, Ariz.), giving the Cougars a 6-4 lead.
The Eagles eventually regained control of the lead in the sixth and clung to a 7-6 advantage heading to the eighth. That's when the Cougars exploded for one of their biggest offensive innings of the season to this point.
Hatton led things off with a single, one of his four hits in the game. Hickman followed with a perfectly executed hit-and-run, putting runners on the corners with nobody out. Junior Garry Maynard (Oswego, Ill.) then delivered the third straight single of the inning to even things at seven.
A walk loaded the bases with still nobody out, and Jacob's second sac-fly of the game brought the go-ahead run across the plate. Freshman Tyler Krater (Phoenix, Ariz.) then added an insurance run with a hit to center.
Two more runs came across the plate after an errant pick-off attempt at third base, making it 11-7. Luckily for the Cougars, they weren't done yet. Senior Matthew Uba (Darien, Ill.) delivered what would be the eventual game-winning RBI with a single to center. He then came around to score on yet another hit from Hatton, making it 13-7 CUC.
The Eagles put together a major rally man in the ninth, platting four runs and eventually sending the winning run to the plate. Senior Mike Tobin (Hickory Hills, Ill.) came in to record the final out and secure his third save of the season. The Cougars held on for a 13-11 victory.
Inside the Box Score
-
Junior Chandler Kerr (Lockport, Ill.) worked two clean innings in the seventh and eighth. He allowed just two hits.
-
The top of the order was fantastic for the Cougars. Hatton had four hits in the leadoff spot, while Hickman followed with three hits and a pair of walks. They each scored two runs.
-
Jacob led the way with three RBIs. In total, seven Cougars drove in runs.
Game Two
Game two was another close battle, but one that was much more low scoring. The Cougars scored right out of the gate after Hatton walked and worked his way around the bases, advancing 90 feet at a time on passed balls and groundouts.
It remained 1-0 until the third, when Edgewood tied the game on an infield single before taking their first lead on a sac-fly.
The Cougars responded in the fourth with more well-executed situational plays. Senior Michael Zavoli (Santa Clara, Utah) drew a one-out walk and advanced to third on a hit-and-run carried out by Jacob. They once again used the double steal to get Zavoli home and even things at two.
The game remained tied at two until the eighth thanks in large part to freshman pitcher Michael Kasik (Chandler, Ariz.). The left-hander was fantastic in relief for CUC, keeping the Eagles off the board for his first three innings of work.
Though Kasik eventually surrendered a pair of earned runs in the eighth, he managed to strike out eight in just four innings of work while issuing zero walks. He worked himself out of a jam in the sixth and proceeded to strike out the side in order the following inning.
As mentioned, the eighth inning was the deciding one. After the Cougars left the bases loaded in the top half, Edgewood scored three in the home half to take a 5-2 lead heading into the ninth.
Just like the Eagles in game one, the Cougars refused to go quietly in the ninth. Walks to Uba and Hatton put two runners on, and both would move up 90 feet on wild pitches. A sac-fly from Hickman made it a two-run game, and after Maynard was hit by a pitch the Cougars brought the tying run to the plate. A loud fly out to center ended the dreams of a comeback, however, as CUC fell 5-3.
Inside the Box Score
-
The four innings pitched, eight strikeouts, and zero walks were all season-best marks for Kasik.
-
Zavoli led the Cougars with two hits, also reaching base twice on walks.
-
Hatton found his way on base three more times in game two, all via walk.
It's a brief break from conference action this weekend as the Cougars will travel to Tiffin, Ohio, to take on Heidelberg University. First pitch is scheduled for noon EDT, and coverage will be available on cucougars.com/coverage.
