Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 Fond du Lac, Wis. – Hitting the crunch time of the season, the Concordia University Chicago Cougars took two crucial wins over the Marian University Sabres after putting up a combined 34-runs on the day.
GAME ONE
INSIDE THE BOX
- Four Cougars homered in game one as Tyler Dorsch (Phoenix, Ariz.), Garry Maynard (Oswego, Ill.), Brandon Mahler (Vernon Hills, Ill.), and Tyler Krater (Phoenix, Ariz.) each sent a ball long over the fence for a combined seven RBIs.
- Krater led the offense going two-for-four at the plate capitalized by a momentum shifting grand slam in the seventh inning.
- The Cougars stayed aggressive on the bases picking up five stolen bases.
- Five Cougars worked on the mound while Anthony Pullano (Park Ridge, Ill.) picked up his first career win in the maroon and gold and Kyle Ston (Winfield, Ill.) picked up his first career save.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Cougars jumped out ahead early in the game after a single from Maynard would move Dorsch 90-feet away from the plate where he'd have the opportunity to steal home on a throw down to second and pick up the first run of the day.
- Picking up another two runs in the top of the second after holding the Sabres scoreless, the Cougars would seemingly steal the momentum of the game quickly. A leadoff homerun from B. Mahler followed by hits from Krater, Sandoval, and Christian Jacob (Scottsdale, Ariz.) would contribute to the Cougars 3-0 lead.
- An eventful bottom of the second inning for the Sabres would let them take the lead that they'd hold onto until a massive top of the seventh inning would bring the Cougars back into the game.
- Starting off the seventh inning with a base hit out to center, the Cougars started their climb back. A double from B. Mahler would move Michael Kasik (Chandler, Ariz.) to third and a walk for Sergio Vazquez Jr. (Concord, Calif.) would load the bases for Krater to step into the box. Battling through a 3-1 count, the sophomore would send a ball deep into left field to secure the grand slam and bring the Cougars within one run.
- Pullano stepped onto the mound in the bottom of the seventh in relief of Mike Tobin (Hickory Hills, Ill.) and retired the first three batters while securing one strikeout.
- Needing to build on the momentum from the inning before, the Cougars jumpstarted things with a double to from Maynard. Back-to-back fly outs to centerfield let Maynard advance around the bases and score off the sacrifice fly from Julio Cajigas (Romeoville, Ill.) to put the Cougars up 10-9.
- Looking to secure the win, the Sabres went to work in the bottom of the ninth and tied things up to send the game to extra innings. Needing to put some runs up, the Cougars jumped ahead 11-10 in the top of the tenth off a double to centerfield that would move Maynard three bases and diving into home plate.
- As Ston took to the mound for the final inning, the freshman secured the save after retiring four batters to keep the Sabres scoreless in the inning and secure the 11-10 win.
HIGHLIGHTS
GAME TWO
INSIDE THE BOX
- Maynard led the offense going three-for-five at the plate while picking up two homeruns and five RBIs.
- Dorsch followed right behind going three-for-six with one homerun and five RBIs.
- Kasik added to the tally of homeruns picking up one for himself while going three-for-four at the plate with two RBIs.
- Sammy Valdez (Plainfield, Ill.) pitched a complete seven inning game without letting up a run and only allowing five hits.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Building off their late run in game one, the Cougars jumped out to a 3-0 lead after a two-run homerun from Dorsch jumpstarted the offense. After Maynard made his way to second base on a couple of tough pitches, a double from Krater would send him home to complete the three-run inning.
- As Valdez worked on the mound, the Cougars and Sabres went back and forth for a few innings before the Cougars got hot in the top of the third inning.
- Kicking things off for the Cougars, Kasik sent a solo homer over the left field fence to start the third inning and build the 4-0 lead. Cajigas, Caleb Anderson (Plainfield, Ill.), and Carter Gledhill (Arlington Heights, Ill.) each found their way on base to lineup for the next few at bats.
- A single from Sandoval would send one run home while leaving two on base for Dorsch to send a longshot out to left center to secure himself a triple and score the runners on base to take the 8-0 lead.
- A fast three batter inning complete with two strikeouts from Valdez would hand things back over to the Cougar offense where they'd be able to pick up another seven runs. After a handful of Cougars found their way on base to load them up, a double from Gledhill would score two runs and keep two runners in scoring position. A sacrifice fly from Sandoval would score another run while hits from Jacob and Dorsch would tack on another two runs. Maynard's second homerun of the day would come in the top of the fourth to add another two runs and bring the Cougars to a 15-0 lead.
- Two consecutive strikeouts from Valdez followed by a fly out to centerfield would once again hand things back over to the Cougar offense where another big outing would put the Cougars up 18-0.
- In the top of the sixth inning, a leadoff single from Krater would jumpstart things once again before hits from Gledhill, Sandoval, Kasik, and Cajigas would help put up the five runs in the inning capitalized by another two-run homer from Maynard, his second of the game and third on the day.
- With Valdez still holding strong on the mound, he'd close the bottom of the seventh with three strikeouts to secure the 23-0 win for the Cougars.
HIGHLIGHTS
The Cougars take a pause after two consecutive days of play before coming back to The Thunderdome on Saturday to take on the Division Street Rival Dominican University for a Senior Day doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled for noon with the Senior Day celebration beginning beforehand. Coverage can be found at cucougars.com/coverage and live updates can be found on Twitter @cucbaseball.
