Lisle, Ill. — The Concordia University Chicago softball team traveled to Benedictine University on Saturday for their third road doubleheader in the last four days. The Cougars were unable to come away with a win in the low-scoring battles, falling 5-2 in game one and 5-3 in game two.
Game One
It was a strong start to the day for the Cougars, as senior Sydney Sterrett (Lafayette, Ind.) led off the game with a double. She'd come around to score on a sac-fly from sophomore Annabella Archuletta (Pueblo, Colo.), giving CUC an early 1-0 lead.
Starting pitcher Holly Bathje (Davis Junction, Ill.) was excellent out of the gate, retiring the first nine Benedictine batters in order. She ran into some trouble in the fourth, however, beginning with three straight singles to load the bases. A sac-fly and three more singles in a row brought four runs across the plate, and just like that the Eagles took a 4-1 lead.
The Cougars answered with a run of their own in the fifth when junior Becky Pieroni (Montgomery, Ill.) skyed a two-out double off the left field wall to score freshman Tegan Oas (Shingle Springs, Calif.).
Benedictine got the run right back in the bottom half, and took that 5-2 lead into the seventh. Freshman Jessica Geng (Phoenix, Ariz.) led off the final inning with a single, but the run would end up stranded at first as the Cougars fell 5-2.
Inside the Box Score
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Sterrett and sophomore Gina Westphal (Elmhurst, Ill.) had two hits apiece for CUC.
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Oas reached base twice with a hit and a walk. She also scored a run.
Game Two
It was Benedictine who struck first in game two, doing so with a pair of hits in the bottom of the first.
Sophomore Carole Ross (Whittier, Calif.) led off the top half of the third with a single to center. She advanced to scoring position on a bunt by Sterrett and eventually scored on a two-out single by Oas, tying the game at one.
Much like the fourth inning in game one, the third inning proved to be a big one for Benedictine in game two. The Eagles scored four runs on six hits and retook the lead at 5-1, their largest advantage of the day.
The Cougars refused to go quietly, and cut this lead in half in the fifth. Ross got the rally started with a one-out single and freshman Ashley Shroll (Tampa, Fla.) followed with a double, putting runners at second and third with one out. A sac-fly from Sterrett and a single from Oas both plated runs and made it a two-run game.
Pieroni added a single to put the tying run on base, but the Cougars were unable to do any further damage. It would go on to be the final hit of the day for CUC, who fell in game two by that final of 5-3.
Inside the Box Score
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Both Oas and Ross had two hits for the Cougars. Oas added a team-high two RBIs as well, while Ross scored a pair of runs.
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Shroll went the distance in the circle for her eight complete game of the season. The freshman also provided the only CUC extra-base hit with her double in the fifth.
The Cougars will play their home finale tomorrow afternoon against Rockford University in River Forest. It will be a doubleheader, with game one beginning at 2 p.m. Coverage for all the action will be available on cucougars.com/coverage.
