RIVER FOREST, ILL. --- Heading into the home stretch of the regular season, the Concordia University Chicago (CUC) softball team hosted the Lakeland University Muskies in a Saturday afternoon double header. The Cougars would end up falling in both contests, but the games would be highly competitive with scored of 6-3 and 4-2.

Senior Day was also celebrated for the CUC softball team: As Annabella Archuletta (Pueblo, Colo.), Gina Westphal (Elmhurst, Ill.), Alyssa Kontopoulos (Elmhurst, Ill.), and Nikita Robbins (Lafayette, Ind.) were all honored after the doubleheader action.

Game One: 6-3 L
Inside the Box Score:

• Emily Garcia (Eastvale, Calif.) led the way offensively in game one, going two-for-three with a double and two runs scored
• Arissa Santos (Moreno Valley, Calif.) would lead off this game with her third long ball of the week
• Eden Pufahl (Laguna Hills, Calif.) would take the bulk of the innings in game one, going three innings with six hits allowed and two strikeouts

How It Happened:

• Santos started off hot for the Cougars, sending a ball over the left field fence to get the game started and taking an early 1-0 lead.
• After the bases loaded up with Cougars, Kontopoulos would have a patient approach at the plate, scoring another run off of a walk and make the game 2-0 CUC.
• However, Lakeland responded immediately. They would tie the game up off of a single to score two Muskies 2-2. Then, a ground out would push another run across and take the lead 3-2. They would go on to add to this lead in the third to make it 4-2. 
• At the plate, Garcia would smack her double down the left field line, but would be left stranded as a pitcher's duel began with Megan Bouska (Plainfield, Ill.) on the mound.
• In the top of the sixth, Lakeland would hit out a ball of their own, making the score 5-3. They went on to tack on one more run in the seventh, giving them a lead of 6-3.
• Melisa Hadzic (Westchester, Ill.) and Archuletta would both single in the seventh to keep the offense alive for the Cougars, making the score 6-4.  CUC would load up the bases in the bottom of the seventh, but Lakeland would shut them down and get out of the jam, winning the game 6-4 over CUC.

Game Two: 4-2 L
Inside the Box Score:

• Santos and Bouska led the way offensively in game two, both going two-for-three, with one run scored by Santos
• Garcia joined her counterpart by slapping a ball out of the park for her second homerun of the year
• Ashley Shroll (Tampa, Fla.) started and pitched four innings in this game, allowing six hits and two strikeouts

How It Happened:

• The first handful of innings would remain scoreless, as these two opponents faced off defensively. Kontopoulos would throw a runner out trying to advance from first to third, with Archuletta applying a huge tag.
• It would not be until the fourth that Lakeland would break this game open off of some well-paced singles by the Muskies 2-0. They went on to add to this lead in the fifth 3-0.
• At the bottom half of the fifth, Santos would single to get on, setting up Garcia for her two-run knock out of the park. This would have the Cougars trailing by just one 3-2.
• Pitching on both sides locked in to battle on the day, with Lakeland scoring one more run in the seventh 4-2. 
• Two Cougars would walk to get on base in the seventh, but it would not be enough to defeat the Muskies. This would end with the Cougars losing game two 4-2.

The Cougars keep up the action tomorrow, as they host Benedictine University at 12 and 2 p.m. Coverage for all of our sports can be found at cucougars.com/coverage.