RIVER FOREST, ILL. — With a huge day ahead of them, the Concordia University Chicago (CUC) softball team geared up to take on Aurora University this afternoon. Doubleheader action would lead to a split between the two teams with a win of 14-1 and loss of 12-9. The game one win marks the first time since the 2018 season that the Cougars have been able to defeat the Spartans.
Game One: 14-1 W (5 inn.)
Inside The Box Score:
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Leading the offense was Annabella Archuletta (Pueblo, Colo.) who was a solid 3-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs
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Hailey Howard (Machesney Park, Ill.) was also a perfect 2-for-2, including a three-run rocket in the first inning
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Also shooting balls out of the park were Arissa Santos (Moreno Valley, Calif.) and Gina Westphal (Elmhurst, Ill.); Westphal grabbing her first of the season
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Ashley Shroll (Tampa, Fla.) threw a complete five innings in the circle and secured her eighth win of the season
From the jump, the Cougars were clearly energized and ready for a day of action. This all began in the first inning, where CUC busted open the bats and let the Spartans have it. Becky Pieroni (Montgomery, Ill.) and Haley Gulsby (Englewood, Fla.) would both single to get on base and set up the rest of the Cougars for a successful inning. The first run was scored off of a Melisa Hadzic (Westchester, Ill.) double to start the game at 1-0 for the Cougars. Next, Howard would launch one into deep center and score three more Cougar runs and quickly bring the score ahead at 4-0.
The party was not over in River Forest as Santos would homer directly after Howard. This solo shot would mark Santos's third of the season and go up 5-0 on the Spartans.
Archuletta would then begin her stellar day with a single to right to continue the CUC rally. Nikita Robbins (Lafayette, Ind.) then poked another ball into center and Archuletta would score to make it 6-0 at the end of the first.
However, heading into the second, Aurora would respond with a run of their own as they scored in a bases loaded situation 6-1. Heading into the bottom of the second, the Cougars were not letting their foot off of the gas. Gulsby would make her way on base and give an opportunity for CUC to extend their lead. They would do so as Archuletta singled through the right side and took the score to 7-1. Jessica Geng (Phoenix, Ariz.) would then have a bases clearing triple and make a big show out of making the score 9-1. Geng would then bring out her ferocious wheels on the bases and score on a pass ball 10-1.
Shroll was in her element on the mound as she completely shut down the Spartans for the remainder of the game. This would give way for the Cougars to create more havoc on offense. Hadzic would get a ball in play to score Pieroni at 11-1. Then, Howard singled through the left side to score Pieroni and Archuletta would single to allow Howard to cross the plate 13-1.
After another scoreless inning from Aurora, Westphal would send out her first long ball of the season and bring this score to 14-1. With a large lead intact, Shroll and the Cougar defense would finish off the Spartans and enact the run-rule in the fifth inning. The Cougars defeated the Spartans with a final score of 14-1 in five innings.
Game Two: 12-9 L
Inside The Box Score:
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Leading the offense in this game was Pieroni who went 3-for-4 with two doubles, two RBIs, and two runs
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Santos and Geng were also able to leg out doubles in this game
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Joining Pieroni with two RBIs were Archuletta and Westphal
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The entire Cougar pitching staff would be utilized in this game
Aurora would start out hot in this game as they got a couple of hits off of Jaidyn Harris (Jurupa Valley, Calif.) 1-0. Kallie Tierney (Corona, Calif.) would then enter the circle and some heads-up defensive plays would keep the Spartans from doing too much damage.
Pieroni opened up the bottom of the first with a double off of the wall. She would then cross home after Archuletta singled through the right side to tie the game up 1-1.
The second inning is where the Spartans would go to work as they quickly took their lead to 6-1. After a scoreless inning from the Cougars, Aurora would tack on even more and take it to 9-1 in the third and then 12-1 in the fourth. This did not deter the CUC defense as they continued to play well behind Cougar pitcher Emma Borrelli (Arlington Heights, Ill.).
With the bottom of the fifth reached and the Spartans in run-rule territory, it became do or die time for the Cougars. This is when the flood gates would open for CUC and they made their mark in this game. It started with a Geng double and a ball hit by Alexis Hilgert (Naperville, Ill.) that would then score her 12-2. A couple more hits would load the bases up full of Cougars with Pieroni at the plate. She would then double to the wall and score two more runs at 12-4.
The fun did not stop there, as Archuletta continued her singles parade and allowed Robbins to skate across 12-5. A Santos double to left center and a Geng single would secure two more runs for the Cougars and cut the lead more than half at 12-7. Westphal would finish off this inning with a single up the middle that scored both Geng and Santos to make the score 12-9.
As both teams battled through the remaining two innings, neither would be able to change the score. This would leave with Aurora taking down CUC with a final score of 12-9 in game two.
The Cougars will have this week off until they host Benedictine University on Saturday at 12 and 2 p.m. On Saturday, the Cougar senior class will be celebrated right after the doubleheader. Coverage for all of our sports can be found at cucougars.com/coverage.
