RIVER FOREST, ILL – In a game that lived up to the long standing "Cardiac Cougars" nickname, the Concordia University Chicago Cougars mounted a relentless comeback to erase an early seven-run deficit and outlast the Marian University Sabres in an extra-inning thriller.
INSIDE THE BOX
- Richie Sperando (Darien, Ill.) led at the plate going four-for-five with two RBIs and three runs. He
- Brandon Mahler (Vernon Hills, Ill.) went three-for-five at the plate with three RBIs and one run of his own, picking up a double late down in the game to put the Cougars ahead.
- Cam Buckley (New Lenox, Ill.) went three-for-six at the plate with four RBIs, adding one home run and stolen base to his stat sheet.
- Jake Mahler (Vernon Hills, Ill.) also went three-for-six at the plate with two RBIs and two runs of his own,
- Xavier Zagerman (Chandler, Ariz.) picked up the game tying solo home run while going two-for-four at the plate with two RBIs.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- In the top of the first, things got underway rather slow for the Cougars, quickly putting two outs on the board, but loading the bases off three consecutive hit by pitches. Unable to convert on the bases loaded, the Cougars headed to the bottom of the first scoreless. Renella got to work quickly and picked up a strikeout, but two hits and an error would score the Sabres first. A string of hits for the Sabres would leave CUC trailing 4-0 heading to the top of the second.
- Connor Jerkatis (New Lenox, Ill.) led the inning off with a hit to right field to put a runner on right away while Sperando would send a strong shooter to the shortstop for an infield single. With two runners on and one out on the board, a double play would erase any opportunity and send it to the bottom of the second still scoreless.
- The Sabres would stay aggressive and tack on one more run in the following three innings, jumping out to a 7-0 advantage over the Cougars. The Cougar offense would come to life in the top of the fifth after a leadoff double to deep centerfield from Sperando would put the first base runner on. A perfectly placed bunt from Buckley would move Sperando over to third while a sacrifice fly from Brendan Holloway (Vernon Hills, Ill.) would push the first run for the Cougars across the plate. Back-to-back singles from J. Mahler and B. Mahler would send Buckley home and keep two runners on base. A walk for Zagerman would load the bases up for a sacrifice fly from Dom Owens (Frankfurt, Ill.) to score the third run of the inning.
- The Sabres would add on another run in the bottom of the fifth, but the top of the sixth would see some more offensive momentum for the Cougars. A leadoff single from Sperando paired with the Cougars' first home run of the day off the bat of Buckley to bring the Cougars within three runs. A pitching change for the Sabres would hold the Cougars off the rest of the inning.
- The Sabres would add two more runs in the bottom of the sixth, extending out to a five run advantage. Momentum completely shifted in the top of the seventh when a leadoff single for Mahler and a single through the left side for Zagerman put two runners on. A single for Jack Linko (New Lenox, Ill.) put two runners on with one run scored and only one out on the board. After Jerkatis got hit by a pitch to load the bases up, a single from Sperando scored two and brought the Cougars within two runs. With bases loaded once again, a single to centerfield from J. Mahler would score two before a throwing error would move him to third and score another, giving the Cougars their first lead of the day, 11-10.
- The Sabres retaliated quickly, tacking on four runs off two home runs in the bottom half of the inning to give them their lead back over the Cougars. In the top of the eighth, the Cougar offense continued to stay hot with a leadoff walk for Owens paired with a walk for Jerkatis and a hit by pitch for Sperando loaded the bases up with one out. A single up the middle from Buckley would score two and put runners on first and second. Despite loading up the bases, the Cougars would leave runners stranded and head to the bottom of the eighth trailing by one.
- Kyle Connelly (New Lenox, Ill.) would deliver the first scoreless inning to the Sabres, picking up two strikeouts and a groundout in three batters, giving the Cougars momentum heading into the ninth.
- Zagerman would start the inning off with a solo shot onto Division Street to keep the Cougars alive, tying the game up at 14. Unable to convert on a runner on base, the Cougar offense would hand things back to the defense with Connelly still on the mound to try to force the game to extra innings. The second consecutive three up, three down inning for Connelly would end with a bare-handed grab from the sophomore pitcher to force the game to a tenth inning.
- Back-to-back walks put two runners on for the Cougars while a single from J. Mahler would load the bases up. An aggressive at-bat for B. Mahler resulted in a double to right center that would score two and give the Cougars the lead in extra innings with no outs on the board. A sacrifice fly from Zagerman would score one and give the Cougars the 17-14 lead heading to the bottom of the tenth.
- With Connelly throwing heat from the mound, his third consecutive three up, three down inning would close the game with the 17-14 comeback victory for the Cougars.
HIGHLIGHTS
UP NEXT
After game two against Marian got postponed due to incoming weather and the sun setting, the Cougars will take on North Park University next, on Monday, April 13
th with first pitch set for 4:00 pm. Coverage can be found at cucougars.com/coverage.
