River Forest, Ill. — The Concordia University Chicago baseball team welcomed No. 18 Aurora University to the Thunderdome on Saturday afternoon for a conference doubleheader. The teams slugged their way through each game, with Aurora holding on for a 12-10 victory in game one and a 10-7 victory in game two.
Game One
Offense wasn't hard to come by for either team in game one. Aurora jumped to a 1-0 lead on a two-out solo blast in the top of the first inning. The Cougars answered immediately in the bottom half on a two-RBI single from fifth-year Brody Mariotti (Yorktown, Ind.). It was the start of a massive day at the plate for the Cougar slugger.
He added to the lead in his next at bat in the third with another RBI single. Another insurance run followed in the fourth when freshman Tyler Krater (Phoenix, Ariz.) raced home on a wild pitch, giving CUC a 4-1 advantage.
Things halted for the offense the next few innings, and an eight-spot from Aurora in the fifth gave the Spartans a commanding 9-4 lead. This wasn't the end of the drama, however.
Continuing to be a problem to opposing pitchers, junior Garry Maynard (Oswego, Ill.) and Mariotti launched back-to-back home runs in the eighth to cut the lead to 9-6. It's the second time the duo has hit back-to-back jacks in the previous three games.
A three-run homer from the Spartans in the eighth appeared to be the final nail in the coffin. The Cougars came to bat in the ninth needing six runs to force extra innings.
The ninth began in a very promising way thanks to a lead-off triple by sophomore Elijah Hickman (Renssalaer, Ind.). He scored one batter later on a sac-fly from senior Michael Zavoli (Santa Clara, Utah), and Maynard followed with a single to keep the pressure applied.
Mariotti knocked another single to center, and both he and Maynard took an extra base following a misplay in the outfield. Both runners then came around to score on a base hit from senior Matthew Uba (Darien, Ill.). With the speed of senior Nathan Dewey (Geneva, Ill.) replacing Uba on first, pinch-hitter Carter Gledhill (Arlington Heights, Ill.) shot a gap, scoring Dewey and making it a 12-10 game.
This was the closest the Cougars would pull, however, falling dramatically with the winning run at the plate in the ninth.
Inside the Box Score
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Mariotti was a perfect 5-5 with four RBIs and two runs scored.
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Maynard and Senior Howie Hatton (North Riverside, Ill.) provided three hits apiece.
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Uba had two hits and two RBIs.
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Senior Cole Carman (Littleton, Colo.) was solid in 3.2 innings of relief. He allowed four earned on seven hits while striking out two.
Game Two
Aurora once again got on the board in the first inning of game two with a sac-fly. The Cougars answered in the second inning this time on an absolute blast off the bat of senior Kevin Garcia (Chicago, Ill.).
The long ball continued to be the offensive spark for the Cougars in the fourth when Maynard hit his second of the day, tying the game at three. For the third time in four games, Mariotti followed with a home run of his own, and CUC had their first lead of game two.
Trailing 9-4 in the seventh, it was time again for the Cougars to look for a late rally. Garcia got things started with a single to left and moved into scoring position with a good read on a passed ball.
Hatton stepped to the plate a few batters later with the bases loaded and delivered a two-RBI single to cut the lead to three. They threatened to continue to add, but a popup to left ultimately ended the inning.
Maynard's big day continued with a solo shot to lead things off for the Cougars in the eighth, his third homer of the afternoon to pull his team within two.
The Spartans added an insurance run in the top half of the ninth and held the Cougars scoreless in the bottom half to hold on for a 10-7 win and the sweep.
Inside the Box Score
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Garcia had three hits in his first game of the afternoon.
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Maynard's two long balls gave him three RBIs in the game.
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Junior Jaime Sandoval (Oak Lawn, Ill.) also had a multi-hit effort.
It's a very quick turnaround for the Cougars, as they'll hit the road to face rival Concordia University Wisconsin in a doubleheader on Sunday afternoon. First pitch for game one is scheduled for noon, and coverage will be available on cucougars.com/coverage.
