De Pere, Wis. — The Concordia University Chicago softball team got out to a 2-0 start in conference play on Saturday with a doubleheader sweep of St. Norbert College. It was the first-ever meeting between the two schools, with the Cougars winning game one 11-4 and game two 13-4.
Game One
The Cougars wasted no time getting on the board in game one, taking the lead on a first inning single by junior Becky Pieroni (Montgomery, Ill.).
Freshman Jessica Geng (Phoenix, Ariz.) added to the lead two batters later with a double to score Pieroni.
Things kept rolling in the second, starting with a lead-off double from sophomore Carole Ross (Whittier, Calif.). Fellow sophomore Annabella Archuletta (Pueblo, Colo.) drove her home one batter later with a single.
They scored yet again in the third on a deep single from junior Hailey Howard (Machesney Park, Ill.) that plated senior Nia DeGeorge (Omaha, Neb.).
Meanwhile, freshman Ashley Shroll (Tampa, Fla.) was rolling in the circle. She went the distance, striking out three and allowing just four earned on six hits.
The freshman also drove in a run at the plate, extending the CUC lead to 5-1 with a single in the fifth. The team really began scoring in the final innings, scoring three in both the sixth and seventh.
Howard once again delivered with an RBI double and Ross followed with an RBI of her own. Howard added another double in the seventh in the form of the team's 11th and final run.
Inside the Box Score
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Howard led the team with three RBIs. She also had a team-high four hits.
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Pieroni and Ross added three hits of their own.
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In total, eight Cougars drove in runs in the game.
Game Two
The Cougars came storming out of the gate again in game two with a seven-run first inning. Senior Sydney Sterrett (Lafayette, Ind.) singled up the middle to lead things off and came around to score two batters later on a single by Pieroni.
With three more runs already across, senior Holly Bathje (Davis Junction, Ill.) dropped a single down the right field line to make it 5-0. Shroll followed with a two-RBI double, capping off the explosive first frame.
It was a similar story in the second, as DeGeorge drove home a pair more with a single to left, extending the CUC lead to 9-2.
Bathje kept the Green Knight's bats in check all afternoon on her way to a complete game. She allowed four runs on five hits over five innings pitched while striking out two.
The Cougars kicked the offense back into gear once again in the fourth with four more runs. Pieroni started the scoring off with a deep home run to left, her second long ball of the season.
Howard followed with a double the following at-bat, and Geng and DeGeorge added two more singles after that. They were opportunistic on the basepaths, with Howard racing home on a wild pitch for the team's 11th run.
After Bathje walked to bring home another run, junior Alexis Hilgert (Naperville, Ill.) put the final stamp on the inning with a pinch-hit single to right. This brought the run total to 13, and the Cougars held on for a run rule victory (13-4 after five).
Inside the Box Score
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Pieroni, Howard, Geng, DeGeorge, and Shroll each had two hits for the Cougars.
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Eight different Cougars had hits.
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Pieroni, DeGeorge, and Shroll also each added two RBIs. Pieroni and DeGeorge both reached base three times.
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Sterrett recorded the lone stolen base of the game for CUC.
The team will be back in action for their home opener on Monday when they welcome the Milwaukee School of Engineering for a doubleheader beginning at 3 p.m. Coverage for the day will be available at cucougars.com/coverage.
