RIVER FOREST, ILL. – The Cardiac Cougars struck again, delivering a thrilling, late-game surge that highlighted the senior day split against Edgewood University. After falling in game one, the Cougars bounced back and picked up their second walkoff win of the week to jump up to fourth place in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) standings with an 11-6 record in conference play.
Prior to the game, the Cougars honored their 13 seniors in
Blake Hickey (Chicago, Ill.),
Allen Mateo (Austell, Ga.),
Jake Mahler (Vernon Hills, Ill.),
David Deimling (Bloomingdale, Ill.),
Richie Sperando (Darien, Ill.),
Brandon Mahler (Vernon Hills, Ill.),
Anthony Pullano (Park Ridge, Ill.),
Garrett Williams (Eaton Rapids, Mich.),
Dom Owens (Frankfort, Ill.),
Brendan Holloway (Vernon Hills, Ill.),
Jack Carroll (North Aurora, Ill.),
Eliot Higgins (Park Ridge, Ill.), and
Kyle Ston (Winfield, Ill.).
GAME ONE: 14-7 L
INSIDE THE BOX
- Owens led the way at the plate going two-for-three with two RBIs and one run of his own while tacking on one stolen base.
- Sperando followed behind going two-for-four at the plate with one RBI.
- Five pitchers dished on the mound, combining for 11 strikeouts. Ryan Renella (Bartlett, Ill.) led the way, picking up five strikeouts while Pullano and Deimling each picked up two.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The game started out quick, with both teams going down in order and gave the Eagles the chance to strike first.
- Trailing by one, a leadoff single for B. Mahler would put one on base before a wild pitch would move him into scoring position. With an infield single for Linko moving B. Mahler to third, he would be stranded and leave CUC still trailing.
- The game would sit stagnant until the fourth inning where the Eagles would tack on three runs on four hits and extend out to a 4-0 advantage.
- The Cougars would strike first in the bottom of the fourth after Xavier Zagerman (Chandler, Ariz.) would get on base after wearing a pitch and would score after Owens launched a ball into centerfield.
- The Eagles would add three runs in the fifth and sixth innings which would put pressure on the Cougars heading into the back half of the game. A leadoff single for Hollway would put one runner on before J. Mahler would get hit by a pitch and put two runners on for a double from B. Mahler to score one and put his brother in scoring position. A single to right center from Owens would give both the Mahler brothers time to score. Two more runs would while Sperando would pick up a single and the Cougars would trail by one.
- The Eagles retaliated quickly and put on five run sin the top of the seventh and their last run of the game in the top of the eighth, jumping out to a 14-6 lead.
- The bottom of the ninth would see Zagerman getting on base off a single to left field before strong baserunning would put him on third. An infield single from Linko would socre one, but two more outs would leave the bases stranded and close the game with the Cougars trailing.
HIGHLIGHTS
GAME TWO: 9-8 W
INSIDE THE BOX
- J. Mahler would lead the way in game two going three-for-four with two RBIs, two runs, and one home run while being responsible for the walkoff win.
- Holloway would follow closely behind going four-for-five at the plate with two RBIs and two runs.
- B. Mahler would go three-for-five at the plate with one RBI.
- Three pitchers would deal in game two with Higgins picking up the start while Matthew Licardi (Peoria, Ariz.) and Kyle Connelly (New Lenox, Ill.) came in as relivers while they each would collect two strikeouts.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Higgins would deliver a three up, three down inning to start the game and give the Cougars the chance to strike first. With singles from both Holloway and B.Mahler, they would leave two on base and hand things right back over to the Edgewood hitters.
- The Eagles would strike first and jump out to a 5-0 lead in the third inning before CUC could get things rolling. With two outs on the board, J. Mahler would launch the lone home run of the day over the centerfield wall to put the first run on the board for the Cougars. The Eagles would answer back with one more run of their own in the top of the fourth before a strikeout and a nice grab from J. Mahler at third would retire the inning.
- A leadoff single from Owens would jumpstart the offense before a single to left center from Jeffery Beckert (Mount Prospect, Ill.) would score him. A single from Sperando and Cam Buckley (New Lenox, Ill.) would score Beckert while a single from Holloway would score the others and bring the Cougars within one. J. Mahler would single yet again and put two runners on while B. Mahler would deliver the game tying double to level the game for the first time.
- The Eagles would tack two more runs on in the top of the fifth, which would stand as their last runs of the game. Things would sit stagnant until the bottom of the eighth where a single up the middle from Holloway with two outs would start a rally. A walk for J. Mahler and a single from B. Mahler would load the bases up while a competitive walk for Owens would score a run, leaving the Cougars trailing by one.
- The top of the ninth would see back-to-back strikeouts from Connelly leaving a zero on the scoreboard and give the Cougars a chance to end the game.
- Linko would start the inning off being hit by a pitch and Quintin Guardia () would come in to pinch run while a walk for Beckert would put the game winning run on first. A sacrifice bunt from Sperando would put one out on the board and the game tying run 90 feet from the plate, while a walk for Holloway would load the bases up.
- With two outs on the board, bases loaded, and the game tying run at third base, J. Mahler stepped to the plate and fouled off the first pitch he saw. The next pitch would drop in left field and give Guardia and Beckert time to score, securing the walkoff win for the Cougars – their second of the week.
HIGHLIGHTS
UP NEXT
After game two of the Marian series was postponed yet again, the Cougars won't be in action until Wednesday as they host North Central College for a single non-conference matchup. First pitch is slated for 3:00 PM and coverage can be found at cucougars.com.
