Mequon, Wis. - The Concordia University Chicago (CUC) Cougars traveled to Mequon, Wis. to go up against the Falcons of Concordia University (Wis.). In game one, the Cougars were strong in their defensive efforts and took game one, 4-3. In game two, the Cougar offense struggled and the Falcons made it even by taking game two, 8-3.
Game One
Inside the Box Score
- Melisa Hadzic (Westchester, Ill) went four for five at the plate, collecting a run and two RBIs.
- Emily Garcia (Eastvale, Calif.) went one for two at the plate, also collecting a run.
- Alyssa Campos (Eastvale, Calif) and Eliza Auger (Littleton, Colo.) went two for five at the plate, and Campos added a run, while also tallying an RBI.
Here's What Happened
- At the top of the first inning, the Falcons worked hard to get the batting Cougars out quickly with two strikeouts and out made at first. With the Cougars in the field for the bottom of the first, the first two batters got out with a grounded ball to third and a hit to left field that was caught. A single was hit to shortstop by the Falcons and a walk right after advanced both runners to first and second bases. A catch from the shortstop closed out the inning.
- Things started to pick up in the top of the second inning for the Cougars as Campos singled to center field. Auger came up to bat and hit a double to left center, putting both her and Campos in scoring position. Hadzic then singled up the middle, advancing both previous runners and bringing home Campos for the first run for the Cougars. It was then Mayah Larenas' (Chino, Calif) turn, reaching first on a catcher's interference, which advanced Hadzic and got the bases loaded. Off of a wild pitch, all runners advanced and Auger scored another run for the Cougars, leading by two against the Falcons.
- At the bottom of the second inning, a Falcon was able to single to shortstop, followed by a double down the left field line, advancing the previous Falcon to third. The Falcons went on to collect their first run. The inning closed out with the Cougars in the lead 2-1.
- For the top of the third, Garcia came in to pinch run for Arissa Santos (Moreno Valley, Calif.) after she hit a single to the shortstop. A sacrifice bunt from Julia Pataluna (Commerce City, Colo.) had gotten Garcia to second. Campos then managed a double to left field, pushing Garcia to score a run. Auger then went on to hit a single to center field, where Campos advanced to third, both Cougars remaining on the corners. An out from Hadzic closed the first half of the inning.
- The Falcons tried to get back against their opponents. They started off with a walk. The Cougars bit back with a double play and had gotten two Falcons out at once. The Cougars continued on to get another out, closing the inning, 3-1.
- As for the fourth inning, both teams upped their defenses and got each other out quickly, moving swiftly into the fifth inning.
- At the top of the fifth, with a pinch hit from Garcia, there was a single up the middle, but this successful play fizzled out as the Falcons worked for the remaining outs.
- The Falcons had their bats moving as a Falcon singled to shortstop to start off the bottom of the fifth inning. A walk proceeded and moved the previous Falcon to second. The Falcons demonstrated their skills as both runners stole second and third bases. Katie Davis (Colorado Springs, Colo.) tried to counter this with two strikeouts, but after a single to third, both runners were able to advance and score, tying themselves up with the Cougars 3-3.
- For the top of the sixth inning, Hadzic accomplished a single to center field, advancing to second, but this had gotten nowhere as the Falcons quickly collected outs. The Cougars work their defense, grabbing their outs in order to move on to the next inning.
- The seventh inning proved to be uneventful as the score stayed stagnant, both teams working to get the other out.
- As the extra innings started to pile in, the Cougars still struggled to get past the Falcons' and their fast defense at the top of the eighth. As for the bottom of the eighth, a Falcon singled up the middle and proceeded to steal second right after. This technique was in vain as the Cougars gained the outs they needed to close the inning.
- The ninth inning began with a single from Hadzic through to the left side. Larenas had a sacrifice bunt, getting out but helping Hadzic advance to third. Similarly to previous innings, this opportunity dwindled away as the top of the ninth closed. The Cougars closed out the innings with quick outs.
- In the tenth inning, a pattern began to show as both sides worked for outs efficiently, transitioning into the eleventh inning.
- At the top of the eleventh inning, two Cougars were out fast. Hadzic fired up her bat and smashed out a home run into left field for the Cougars, allowing Hadzic to score the Cougars' final run of game one.
- At the bottom of the final inning, a Falcon singled through the left side. Another proceeded to hit a double to left center field. Before another run was made for the Falcons, the previous Falcon was tagged out and a runner was only able to advance to third. A final out closed the inning and allowed the Cougars to take game one, 4-3.
The Falcons built up pressure with their defensive abilities, but a home run would seal the deal as the Cougars took game one, 4-3.
Game Two
Inside the Box Score
- Campos came back around in game two with another outstanding performance, going two for three at the plate while also collecting a run.
- Santos went one for two at the plate for game two.
- Larenas and Garcia both went one for three at the plate in game two, while Larenas grabbed a run.
Here's What Happened
- The top of the first inning went by quickly as the Falcons came back strong for game two. For the bottom of the first, a Falcon started out by hitting a single through the right side and proceeded to steal second, moving on to third quickly. As the next batter ran for first, another Falcon scored their first run, closing the inning in the lead, 1-0.
- The second inning started out well with Campos getting walked and Larenas reaching first off of a fielder's choice; Campos made it to second with that decision as well. Haley Gulsby (Englewood, Fla.) came up to bat and reached first off of a fielder's choice and Larenas advanced to second. These advancements went nowhere as the half of the inning closed out. As the Cougars moved to the field, outs were made quickly and the inning ended.
- The plays became more interesting as the third inning began; Garcia singled to left field, followed by a single through to the left side from Santos, where Emily Lucero (Chino, Calif.) then came in to pinch run. Both Lucero and Garcia advanced to scoring position as Hadzic got out. Another out would bring the Falcons back up to bat.
- The Falcons managed to hit a double to right field, but the rest of the activity in the inning was sparse.
- The Cougars began the fourth inning with strong performances as Campos singled through the left side, moving on to second after Larenas grounded out. Alaina Pilas (Chicago, Ill.) then hit a single up the middle as teammate Campos advanced to third. As Gulsby came to bat, her hit resulted in an out, but not before Campos was able to get in the first Cougar run.
- As the teams were tied entering the bottom of the fourth, the Falcons got their bats swinging as the first batter singled up the middle. This was followed up with a double to right center field while the previous Falcon advanced to third, putting both runnings in scoring position. The bases loaded up with a walk from another Falcon.
- A Falcon singled up the middle once again, advancing all runners and allowing for one run. Another Falcon reached first off of a throwing error from the Cougars, runners advancing and scoring yet another run. A flyout to center field gave the Cougars an out, but a runner still managed to score. The Falcons took the lead 4-1 as the inning closed.
- The fifth inning was slow, but the Falcons stayed motivated by their recent runs; a Falcon singled up the middle. A walk brought runners to both first and second bases. The Falcons proceeded to hit a home run to center field, grabbing three additional runs for the team. The Falcons had an advantage of six runs over the Cougars, 7-1
- The Cougars tried to lessen the score gap in the sixth inning; Larenas singled down the left field line. The next batter, Pilas, reached first on a throwing error by third while Larenas advanced to third. McKyler Morris (Belvidere, Ill.) gave an out to the Falcons while Pilas advanced to second and Larenas scored a run for the Cougars. Charlize Gonzalez (Dallas, Texas) reached first on an error by the Falcons allowing Pilas to score. The Cougars added two runs to get the inning going, 7-3.
- As the bottom of the sixth inning rolled around, a Falcon hit a double down the left field line. That led to another runner hitting a single up the middle, helping a runner score. Runners were able to get to scoring position, but the inning came to a close, the Cougars gaining on their opponents, 8-3.
- The teams went into the seventh inning with a walk from Hadzic and a double from Campos, getting the Cougars in scoring position, but the outs from the Falcons was the finishing touch as the Falcons took game two, 8-3.
What's Next
The Cougars will be back in action tomorrow, March 29th, as they make their way back to their home field to welcome their Division Street rivals, the Stars of Dominican University for another NACC doubleheader. Coverage for all things Cougar softball can be found at cucougars.com/coverage.
