AUBURNDALE, FLA. – In game three under the Florida sun, the Concordia University Chicago Cougars took on the Wartburg College Knights, securing the dominating 9-3. Strong pitching, lockdown defense, and hot bats kept the Cougars rallying late into the game to pick up their second win of the season.
INSIDE THE BOX
- Cam Buckley (New Lenox, Ill.) led at the plate going two-for-four with two RBIs and one run.
- Jack Linko (New Lenox, Ill.) followed behind going two-for-five at the plate with one RBI.
- Dylan Scott (Bartlett, Ill.) led on the mound going five innings with three runs allowed, picking up his first win of the season.
- Josh Prosise (Joliet, Ill.) came in relief picked up three strikeouts in five batters faced.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Knights struck first in the top of the first picking up one run off two hits. The Cougars wasted no time retaliating after back-to-back walks for Jake Mahler (Vernon Hills, Ill.) and Brandon Mahler (Vernon Hills, Ill.) put two runners on base for a single from Linko to drive one run in.
- With the game tied up, a strong top of the second forced three quick outs and handed things right back to the raging Cougar offense where Richie Sperando (Darien, Ill.) led the inning off with a stand up double.
- Building off the initial momentum, Jeffery Beckert (Mount Prospect, Ill.) laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Sperando to third where a single from Buckley would score one and give the Cougars the lead for the first time.
- Another three up, three down inning at the hands of Scott would put the Cougars back behind the bats once again with B. Mahler making his way all around the bases off a walk and three wild pitches to cross the plate and give CUC the 3-1 lead.
- The Knights would tie things up in the top of the fourth after picking up two runs on two hits. With bases loaded and the potential to do some damage, a hard hopper to third base would be cleanly secured by J. Mahler and tossed home to get the lead runner before B. Mahler could launch the ball to first and secure the double play and hold the Knights at three runs.
- The game would sit stagnant until the bottom of the fifth where J. Mahler would send a rocket toward third that took a hop to the outfield. With J. Mahler on second, a single through the left side from Dom Owens (Frankfort, Ill.) would send J. Mahler heading for home. On the throw to home, Owens would make his way to second while the errant throw would give him time to make it all the way to third.
- The game would once again get stagnant with strong pitching from Prosise, Blake Hickey (Chicago, Ill.) and Kyle Connelly (New Lenox, Ill.) to ward off the Knights.
- The bottom of the eighth saw the Cougars spark up with a single through the right side for Austin Koberstein (Milwaukee, Wis.) paired with Beckert getting hit by a pitch and a walk for Xavier Zagerman (Chandler, Ariz.) to load the bases up. With the Knights trying a new arm on the mound, two consecutive hit by pitches would score two runs and keep the bases loaded. A wild pitch would send Zagerman home to extend the lead out to four. With two outs on the board, a single from B. Mahler would send both J. Mahler and Buckley home to close the inning with five runs on three hits to put the Cougars up 9-3.
- In the top of the ninth, Connelly would lock down and pick up back-to-back strikeouts to end the game with the six-run lead.
HIGHLIGHTS
UP NEXT
The Cougars continue their string of Florida games with a matchup against St. John Fisher University tomorrow, March 3
rd, at 11:00 am EST. Coverage can be found at cucougars.com/coverage.
