RIVER FOREST, ILL. – In one of their most electric showings of the season, the Concordia University Chicago Cougars battled through two high-scoring, back-and-forth contests to complete a thrilling doubleheader sweep over fellow Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) opponent Illinois Tech, taking game one 13-12 before walking it off in a dramatic fashion in game two, 12-11.
GAME ONE: 13-12 W
INSIDE THE BOX
- Dom Owens (Frankfurt, Ill.) had a strong outing at the plate, going three-for-four at the plate with two RBIs and two runs of his own.
- Jake Mahler (Vernon Hills, Ill.) followed behind going two-for-four at the plate with four RBIs and three runs with one home run.
- Jack Linko (New Lenox, Ill.) also rocketed a home run on the day while going two-for-five at the plate with three RBIs and one run.
- Brendan Holloway (Vernon Hills, Ill.) had himself a day at the plate going three-for-four with three runs of his own.
- Michael Southard (Northbrook, Ill.) picked up his season-high four strikeouts while Eliot Higgins (Park Ridge, Ill.) came in relief and picked up his season-high three strikeouts.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- A clean opening frame from the Cougar defense set the tone early, allowing for CUC to get rolling. Holloway jumpstarted the offense with a double to left field and came around to score on a sharp RBI single from Mahler, giving the Cougars the early 1-0 lead.
- Illinois Tech threatened quickly, but would be kept off the board for another inning before finally breaking through in the third. A trio of hits would score a pair of runs and give the Scarlet Hawks their first lead over the Cougars on the day. It wouldn't take long for the Cougars to retaliate, with a leadoff single for Holloway putting one runner on. A walk for Brandon Mahler (Vernon Hills, Ill.) would put runners on first and second while a single from Xavier Zagerman (Chandler, Ariz.) would score the tying run. A single through the left side for Owens would score another run and give the Cougars their lead back. With two runners on base, the first home run of the game would come off the bat of Linko and double the Cougar runs, jumping out to a 6-2 lead.
- The Scarlet Hawks would keep their bats hot, tacking on three runs off three hits in the top of the fourth, but the Cougars would pick up where they left off as well. A leadoff infield single for Cam Buckley (New Lenox, Ill.) would put one runner on before he would steal second and make his way to third off an overthrow from the Scarlet Hawks. With an error allowing J. Mahler to get on base and Buckley to score, a hit by pitch for Zagerman and a single up the middle for Ownes to score another, the Cougars would extend out to an 8-5 lead.
- The Scarlet Hawks would score two more runs on one hit in the top of the fifth while Higgins would pick up three strikeouts in the inning and hand things back to the Cougar offense. For the first time in the game, the Cougars would go down in order and allow the Scarlet Hawks to retake the lead in the top of the sixth off four hits and one error.
- Quickly working behind their bats, the Cougar offense got started off a leadoff walk for Holloway before J. Mahler launched his first home run of the day leveled the game up at ten apiece. With a pitching change coming in, a double for B. Mahler and a single for Owens would put two runners in scoring position while a wild pitch would score the go-ahead run. Another Scarlet Hawk error would send the last run of the inning across home plate and the Cougars would regain the lead, 12-10.
- A lockdown inning at the hands of Kyle Connelly (New Lenox, Ill.) would let the Cougar offense keep rallying.
- In the bottom of the seventh, the Cougars would score their last run of the game after Holloway found his way on base after being hit by a pitch, J. Mahler would take a five-pitch walk, and B. Mahler would send a single into left field to score Holloway. Despite having bases loaded, the Cougars would be unable to convert and close the inning with the three-run advantage.
- The Scarlet Hawks would make their final push of the game in the top of the eighth, tacking on two runs off three hits, while Connelly continued to dish on the mound. With the Cougars ahead by one, they would once again leave the bases loaded and be unable to score in the bottom of the eighth, heading to the final regular inning with only a one run lead. Three outs in four batters, including one strikeout from Connelly, would close the game with a narrow victory for CUC.
HIGHLIGHTS
GAME TWO: 12-11 W
INSIDE THE BOX
- Holloway continued with his strong outing going three-for-five at the plate with two runs.
- J. Mahler would launch two more home runs in game two, going two-for-four at the plate with three total RBIs.
- Buckley would secure a grand slam in the game, leading the charge with six RBIs and one run of his own while going two-for-five at the plate.
- Linko went four-for-five at the plate with two runs of his own after jacking one double in the game.
- Richie Sperando (Darien, Ill.) would pick up the most important hit of the day, going one-for-four at the plate with one RBI.
- Connor Peckham () would go one-for-one at the plate in his pinch-hitting opportunity.
- Five arms dished on the mound in the game with Jack Carroll (North Aurora, Ill.) collecting four strikeouts, Anthony Pullano (Park Ridge, Ill.) delivering a scoreless inning, David Deimling (Bloomingdale, Ill.) picking up three strikeouts and one run allowed, and Josh Prosise (Joliet, Ill.) delivering three strikeouts and no earned runs.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Scarlet Hawks picked up in game two right where they left off in game one and jumped out to an early 5-0, leaving the Cougars trailing right away. In the bottom of the first, Holloway would send a single up the middle and make his way to second on a wild pitch before B. Mahler would be intentionally walked and another wild pitch would move both runners up a base, putting runners on second and third. Unable to convert, the Cougars would head into top of the second still scoreless.
- The Scarlet Hawks would tack on another run in the top of the second and take a seemingly large 6-0 lead, but the Cougar offense would spark back up in the bottom half. A single up the middle for Linko paired with a single to right field for Jerkatis would put two runners on base. A single to center from Buckley would score two and put the Cougars on the board for the first time in the game.
- A much needed blank inning for the Cougar defense would let the hitters continue to stay hot with a leadoff solo home run to left center from J. Mahler. Two pitches later, B. Mahler would follow his brother's home run with one of his own, marking the first time the two brothers have gone yard back-to-back in their four year careers, putting both of them in the single-season Cougar Baseball Record Book for single-season home runs, tied at 8th. Now trailing by two, a walk for Owens, a single for Linko, and a hit by pitch for Sperando would load the bases up for a new pitcher to enter the game. The first batter for the new arm on the mound would be Buckley, who was long overdue to send a ball onto Division Street and clear the bases in a lead-taking grand slam.
- With the Scarlet Hawks trailing for the first time in game two, they would retaliate quickly and tack on three runs off five hits in the top of the fourth take the 9-8 lead right back from the Cougars. CUC would go down in order in the bottom of the fourth to force their defense right back to the field. With Pullano stepping onto the mound, he would deliver a scoreless inning that would keep momentum on CUC's side. The top of the sixth would see the Scarlet Hawks tacking on another run to jump ahead by two, but J. Mahler would have an answer for that himself, sending a two run rocket to left field, collecting his third home run of the day to tie the ball game up.
- The top of the seventh would see B. Mahler swapping spots with Owens and coming in behind home plate, where he and Deimling would lock things down and collect three outs with no runs allowed, including two strikeouts for Deimling.
- The game would sit stagnant until the top of the eighth where the Scarlet Hawks would put another run up, retaking the lead from the Cougars. A single from Holloway paired with a stolen base and an error would put him 90 feet from tying the game up again and would put J. Mahler at the plate with one out on the board. After being intentionally walked and runners on corner bags, a slow roller to the pitcher would allow Holloway to score and the Cougars would tie the game up at 11 heading into the final inning yet again.
- Arguably the most electric inning of pitching for the Cougars would come in the top of the ninth where Prosise would deliver seven pitches for three outs, picking up one strikeout and forcing two outs to Sperando at short to give the Cougar offense an opportunity to walk it off.
- Peckham would hit in place of Austin Koberstien (Milwaukee, Wis.) who pinch hit in place of Owens previously, and he would take a hack at the first pitch he saw and send it deep into left field for a leadoff single. Quintin Guardia () would pinch run for Peckham and after a walk for Jerkatis put two runners on, Sperando would step to the plate still chasing his first hit of the game. On the first pitch he saw, Sperando would connect and send a ball deep to the left field corner, giving Guardia plenty of time to cross home plate, securing the walk-off victory for the Cougars, propelling them to a 10-5 NACC record.
HIGHLIGHTS
UP NEXT
The Cougars take a short break after playing four games in three days before returning to their home field on Saturday, April 18
th as they host Edgewood University for a Senior Day doubleheader slated for noon and 3:00 pm. Senior Day activities are set to begin around 11:00 am and all coverage can be found at cucogars.com/coverage.
