WAUWATOSA, WIS. --- The Concordia University Chicago (CUC) softball team headed off for a weekend trip to take on the Wisconsin Lutheran College (WLC) Warriors. With an extremely windy day ahead of them, both teams would benefit and suffer due to the amount of long balls on the day. The Cougars would split with the Warriors, winning game one 8-2 and losing game two 14-10.

Game One: 8-2 W
Inside the Box Score:

• Annabella Archuletta (Pueblo, Colo.) led the offense in game one, going three-for-four, including her first homerun of the season and three RBIs
• Having a monster day at the plate, Arissa Santos (Moreno Valley, Calif.) would go three-for-five with two homeruns and three RBIs
• Megan Bouska (Plainfield, Ill.) picked up the win in the circle, going three innings while giving up three hits, zero runs, and one strikeout

How It Happened:

• In the second, the Cougars would try to score first, but the Warriors would make a great relay to stop the CUC offensive rally.
• It would not be until the third that CUC would put their runs on the board. Haley Gulsby (Englewood, Fla.) would single and then steal second to get into scoring position. Emily Garcia (Eastvale, Calif.) would put a ball in play, scoring Gulsby 1-0.
• However, WLC responded quickly by scoring two runs to take the lead at 2-1.
• As the two teams stayed stagnant in battle, Santos would open it up in the fifth with a lead-off homerun to tie the game up 2-2. Garcia, Archuletta, and Jessica Geng (Phoenix, Ariz.) would all reach base to load them up, but they would be left stranded in a tie ball game.
• Bouska came in for the next inning, getting the Warriors out in a row to bring the Cougars back to the plate.
• Gulsby would start the sixth with a double, which then gave way to Santos to send her second long ball of the day 4-2. Garcia and Melisa Hadzic (Westchester, Ill.) would then single to get on base, giving Archuletta the opportunity for a three-run homerun for herself 7-2.
• This offense continued in the seventh, as Katelyn Smith (Chatsworth, Ga.) picked up a pinch hit single to make the lead 8-2.
• The Cougars would end the game on an infield fly double play, cementing their game one win 8-2.

Game Two: 14-10 L
Inside the Box Score:

• Garcia and Olivia Stroker (St. Louis, Mo.) would make an impact in game two, both going two-for-four, Garcia picking up a double and two RBIs
• Hadzic and Garcia would both score three runs apiece
• Ashley Shroll threw the majority of game two, including three innings with five strikeouts

How It Happened:

• With Garcia and Hadzic reaching base to start game two, McKyler Morris (Belvidere, Ill.) smacked a single threw to take a quick lead of 2-0.
• However, the Warriors would respond with a huge homerun to take the lead back 3-2.
• Garcia would continue her prowess, hitting a double to tie the game up 3-3. Then, Garcia and Hadzic would use their speed to steal home and move bases 4-3. Archuletta sent a ball into left and took the score to 5-3.
• Unfortunately, WLC then went on to homer twice more and tie the game up 5-5.
• The fourth is when CUC would open up the offense. Stroker and Alyssa Kontopoulos (Elmhurst, Ill.) would get balls in play to get on base, giving Gulsby the opportunity to hit a run in 6-5. Santos and Garcia followed this to score two more runs and make it 8-5. Archuletta and Bouska would round out the list of Cougars to take advantage of the offense, finally making the score 10-5.
• WLC would not go quietly, working back to a lead of 12-10 in the fourth. 
• Both teams would struggle to score through the next few innings as a pitcher duel began at 14-10. With the Cougars unable to score anymore runs, they would lose game two 14-10.

The Cougars have two final regular season games this week both at home, against Rockford University on Tuesday at 2:30 and 4:30 p.m. and Concordia University Wisconsin on Friday at 3 and 5 p.m. Coverage for all of our sports can be found at cucougars.com/coverage.