MEQUON, WIS. – The Concordia University Chicago Cougar Baseball team closes its 2023 season after a day two loss in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Tournament to the Illinois Institute of Technology Scarlet Hawks.
INSIDE THE BOX
- Christian Jacob (Scottsdale, Ariz.) led the charge with three RBIs off one hit in four at bats.
- Tyler Dorsch (Phoenix, Ariz.) and Tyler Krater (Phoenix, Ariz.) recorded the only two other hits on the day.
- Mike Tobin (Hickory Hills, Ill.) dominated on the mound for the Cougars pitching 4.1 innings while allowing no runs to the 14 batters faced.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- As the Cougars continued their struggle at the plate that proved to be their downfall in game one of the tournament, a quick three up, three down inning gave the Scarlet Hawks the opportunity to attack first. A series of walks to load the bases for the Scarlet Hawks gave them the 1-0 advantage after the first inning.
- The second inning would be a fast six outs while both defenses only faced three batters and retired the complete inning with no hits or runs for either team. The top of the third gave the Cougars the jumpstart they needed as back-to-back walks put Krater and Caleb Anderson (Plainfield, Ill.) on base before Jacob would send a long ball to left field for the three-run homer.
- A retaliation homerun from the Scarlet Hawks in the bottom of the third would cut the Cougar advantage to one, but a massive throw out from Garry Maynard (Oswego, Ill.) in right field to Brandon Mahler (Vernon Hills, Ill.) at home would get the final out of the inning and keep the Cougars ahead by one.
- In three innings of work the Cougars would only see nine batters for no hits while the Scarlett Hawks would have a monstrous fourth inning and pick up five runs on six hits to jump ahead by four.
- With the remainder of the game being a battle on the mound, the Cougars were unable to pick up any additional runs and the Scarlet Hawks ran away with the 7-3 win.
HIGHLIGHTS
"In the world of college baseball or competitive sports we get so consumed with it all that we forget why we do it," Head Coach
Kolin Conner said. "I can honestly say this group everyday reminded each other and the coaches why we do it. They were a blast to be around and loved to be coached. We are going to continue to take steps forward. Thank you to this years seniors -- you grew up fast and you will forever be part of something special. Offensively, we were special this year, especially in the slugging and run scoring category. Defensively, it was a really nice step forward. Pitching will be back where we want it next year -- Coach Smith has a plan."
The Cougars close the 2023 season after securing a spot in the NACC tournament for the second consecutive year. Cougar Baseball would like to thank the friends, family, and fans for their support all season and to their ten seniors for all their hard work this season and throughout their four years. Coverage and updates about all things Cougar Baseball can be found at cucougars.com and on Instagram and Twitter @cucbaseball.
