River Forest, Ill. - The Concordia University Chicago (CUC) Cougars had their second round of double-header game days out at the CUC Softball Field against the North Park Vikings. The Cougars struggled to get anything going in game one and fell 6-0. The Cougars came back in game two and won 8-5, resulting in a split on the day.

Game One

Inside the Box Score:

• Katelyn Smith (Chatsworth, Ga.) went one for one in game one and got one of two hits.
• Jessica Geng (Phoenix, Ariz.) was the only other Cougar to record a hit in game one. 

Here's What Happened

• The Vikings opened up the scoring in the first inning where they brought in one run taking an early 1-0 lead. 
• At the bottom of the first, Geng would double to left field, but would be left stranded as the following hitters for the Cougars either grounded out or struck out. 
• The Vikings continued their scoring in the top of the third and fourth where between the two innings they scored five more runs and increased their lead to 6-0. 
• At the bottom of the fifth in a bases loaded situation with Smith, Esmeralda Luevano (Chicago, Ill.), and Ashley Shroll (Tampa, Fla.) on the base, Jolene Anderson (Romeoville, Ill.) came in to pinch hit for the Cougars to give the Vikings a different look. Unfortunately, Anderson was caught out at first unassisted leaving the Cougars scoreless when heading into the top of the sixth. 
• A single by Smith to center field would be the second recorded hit of the game for the Cougars, but again, the Vikings got out of the inning with no runs recorded. 

The Cougars were unable to get anything going offensively in the final inning of play and would fall in game one, 6-0. 

Game Two

Inside the Box Score:

• Both Arissa Santos (Moreno Valley, Calif.) and Emily Lucero (Chino, Calif.) went two for three in game two. The pair also both roped in two RBIs. One of Santos' RBIs was thanks to her second home run of the season, and both of Lucero's came from a crucial double.
• Alyssa Campos (Eastvale, Calif.) and Geng both went one for two in game two, where they each had sacrificial flyouts, bringing their teammates home to score. 

Here's What Happened

• At the bottom of the first, Emily Garcia (Eastvale, Calif.) was hit by a pitch, and Geng and Mayah Larenas (Chino, Calif.) were walked. A single from Anderson to right field allowed Garcia to come home and all other runners to advance one base. The Cougars now led 1-0. 
• Thanks to an error by the Vikings, Santos reached first, allowing Geng to get home and advance all runners once again. The Cougars increased their lead to 2-0. 
• A sacrifice fly out by Campos would bring home Larenas and the final run for the inning, making the lead 3-0 heading into the second inning. 
• In the top of the second, the Vikings would answer but only with one run, bringing the score to 3-1, favoring the Cougars. 
• With Santos on second after a double, and an advancement to third after a wild pitch, a sacrifice fly by Campos brought home Santos which brought the Cougars back into a three run lead at 4-1. 
• The Vikings were able to add one run in the top of the fourth but still trailed 4-2. 
• At the bottom of the fourth and with Shroll on the third, a sacrifice fly out by Geng brought home Shroll making the score 5-2. 
• At the top of the fifth, the Vikings remained consistent and scored one more run to chip away at the Cougar lead but still trailed 5-3. 
• The Cougars kicked off the bottom of the fifth with a homerun by Santos, her second of the season making the Cougar lead back to three and the score 6-3. 
• Following Santos, Campos doubled to center field and Morris singled to shortstop. With the two on first and third, a double from Lucero brought them both home, increasing the lead to 8-3.

The Vikings would put a pair of runs up in the top of the sixth, but a strong inning defensively for the Cougars in the top of the seventh would solidify the win. With a final score of 8-5, the Cougars took game two and split on the day.

What's Next

The Cougars will have a couple of days off before opening up conference play against the St. Norbert Green Knights. Coverage for all things CUC softball can be found at cucougars.com/coverage.