Chicago, Ill. - The Concordia University Chicago (CUC) Cougars made their way to Chicago, Ill. to go up against the Vikings of North Park University. In game one, the Cougars kept their defense strong and took game one 7-4. In game two, it was a slow start for both teams, but the Cougars brought energy and managed to close out game two 10-3.
Game One
Inside the Box Score:
- McKyler Morris (Belvidere, Ill.) and Arissa Santos (Moreno Valley, Calif.) both went two for three at the plate where Morris also tallied an RBI.
- Emily Lucero (Chino, Calif.) went one for three, but a triple would help her finish with three RBIs.
Here's What Happened
- The Vikings started out strong with accomplishing three straight outs to clear out the first half of the inning.
- Things started to pick up for both teams in the second inning as Larenas singled to center field; a sacrificial bunt from Lucero helped advance Larenas to second, but a ground ball to second closed out the top of the inning. With the Cougars in the field, good defense was demonstrated heavily as the Cougars quickly got out the first two batters. A hit from the Vikings went into center left field, but nothing came of it as the final batter fouled out, closing the inning.
- The Vikings tried to retaliate as they managed to get the Cougars' first two batters out. Morris was hit by a pitch, which advanced her to first. A wild pitch moved Morris onto second, but was left stranded as the Vikings grabbed the final out to close the third inning.
- The fourth inning came with major development as Santos doubled to right center field. As Alyssa Campos (Eastvale, Calif.) came to bat, giving the Vikings their first out of the inning, Santos was able to advance to third. A triple down the right field line from Lucero allowed for both Larenas and Jazmine Gonzales (Riverside, Calif.), who pinch ran for Santos, to cross home plate, putting up the Cougars' first two runs on the board.
- Haley Gulsby (Englewood, Fla.) reached first on an error by the Vikings allowing Pilas, who previously had a walk to first, advanced to second, then third. This led to another run scored by Lucero, putting the Cougars in the lead by three. Morris hit a single to left field, helping Gulsby advance to second and for Pilas to get a run. Linley Southern (Decatur, Ill.) also singled, loading up the bases. With a walk from Gonzales, all advanced and Gulsby scored another run for the Cougars. Heading into the bottom half of the fourth, the Cougars led, 5-0.
- The Vikings managed to get on the board after errors from the Cougars, scoring two runs in the bottom of the fourth. With the Cougars unable to respond in the fifth, the Vikings added on two more runs that were brought in off of Cougar errors at the bottom of the fifth inning.
- The sixth inning saw one hit from each team, but no runs were scored and the Cougars found themselves back up to back in the seventh.
- In the seventh inning, Santos singled into right field where Julia Pataluna (Commerce City, Colo.) stepped in to pinch run for her. Campos walked which advanced Pataluna to second; a bunt from Larenas pushed Campos and Pataluna into scoring position. An error helped everyone advance, aiding Pataluna to reach home. Campos accomplished the final run for the Cougars in game one and the top half of the inning closed out.
- The Cougar defense proved strong, not allowing the Vikings to put up any hits or runs, allowing the Cougars to take game one, 7-4.
The Vikings started to pick up the pace at the midpoint of game one, but a lot of their efforts were in vain as the Cougars would take game one, 7-4.
Game Two
Inside the Box Score:
- Gonzales showed off her skills in game two as she went four for five at the plate and collected two runs.
- Pataluna and Campos also showed determination in game two, both going two for three at the plate, and added two RBIs.
Here's What Happened
- Game two began with Gonzales hitting a single to right field. Santos was walked then Emily Garcia (Eastvale, Calif.) came in to pinch run; Gonzales advanced to second. The top of the inning didn't go further as the Vikings got Hadzic and Garcia out. In retaliation, the Cougars wasted no time in getting all of the runners out to close out the inning.
- The bottom of the first as well as all of the second and third innings saw a lone hit from Gonzales, but with no runs scored by either team, the score remained 0-0 after three full innings of play.
- In the top of the fourth, Hadzic was hit by a pitch, advancing her to first straight away. Next up, a wild pitch moved Hadzic along to second. Eliza Auger (Littleton, Colo.) grounded out to third but Hadzic advanced to third on the throw. With a single to center field from Pataluna, Hadzic was able to score. Off of another wild pitch, Pataluna moved on to second. Campos singled to center field, advancing Pataluna to third. Gulsby came to impress by hitting a triple to center field, letting Campos and Pataluna score. Heading to the bottom half of the inning, the Cougars led, 3-0.
- The Vikings tried to push forward as they hit a home run into right field, getting two runs on the board to chip away at the Cougar lead. One more single would be the last bit of action in the fourth. The Cougars still led 3-2.
- The Cougars got their bats hot as Gonzales singled to shortstop, a sacrificial bunt from Garcia moving her to second. Hadzic singled to right field, advancing to second on the throw, allowing Gonzales to score. A similar situation happened with Pataluna after singling up the middle then advancing to second on the throw, allowing Hadzic to score. The Cougars advanced their lead 5-2.
- The Vikings were no match to the Cougar defense where a quick three up, three down, sent the Cougars right back to bat.
- At the top of the sixth inning, Gulsby struck out, but made it to first off of a passed ball. Morris then singled to third off a well-placed bunt, moving Gulsby to second. Gonzales had hit a single, loading the bases once more. A walk from Garcia advanced everyone, leading Gulsby to score a run.
- After a double play by the Vikings, Auger hit a single to center field, advancing everyone and letting Garcia and Gonzales to score two runs. Charlize Gonzalez (Dallas, Texas) pinch hit for Larenas but was walked, advancing a Cougar to second. Campos accomplished a double to right field, getting Gonzalez to advance and Pataluna and Auger to score runs, increasing the Cougars lead to 10-2 before the final outs were obtained by the Vikings.
- The Vikings attempted to fight back as a runner hit a single and advanced to second off of a wild pitch. Another single allowed them to score one run, but they still trailed behind the Cougars by seven.
- Alyssa Lopez (Corona, Calif.) was the closeout pitcher for the Cougars and kept up the consistent pitching streak as she quickly worked to get the final outs of the game. These outs would inevitably end the game, the Cougars beating out the Vikings, 10-3.
What's Next
The Cougars will be back in action on Saturday, March 28th, as they travel to Mequon, Wis. for a doubleheader against Concordia University (Wis.) for another NACC matchup. Coverage for all things Cougar softball can be found at cucougars.com/coverage.
