RIVER FOREST, ILL. – On a gloomy day in the Chicagoland area, the Concordia University Chicago Cougars hosted the St. Norbert College Green Knights, where a late rally and continued momentum resulted in a sweep to extend the Cougars ahead in Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) play.
GAME ONE: 8-7 W
INSIDE THE BOX
- Jake Mahler (Vernon Hills, Ill.) led the charge going three-for-five at the plate with one RBI and one run of his own.
- Brandon Mahler (Vernon Hills, Ill.) followed behind going two-for-four at the plate with one RBI and one run of his own.
- Ryan Renella (Bartlett, Ill.) had a career-high day picking up 11 strikeouts in eight innings pitched. He threw for over 100 pitches while only allowing five runs.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Renella got to work early in the day, picking up two strikeouts in three batters to retire the inning in order and hand things over to the Cougar offense. Cam Buckley (New Lenox, Ill.) got on base early and quickly stole second to put him in scoring position. A double from J. Mahler would send Buckley home and the Cougars would strike first.
- Another quick inning for the Cougar defense would see another strikeout tacked on to Renella's stat line while holding the Green Knights scoreless. The game would remain steady until the top of the fourth where the Green Knights would tie things up at one apiece, but Renella would deliver three strikeouts to close the inning.
- Knotted up for the first time today, a leadoff single for B. Mahler would put one runner on, but CUC would be unable to capitalize and leave the inning scoreless.
- The Green Knights would take their first lead of the day in the top of the sixth after picking up three runs on three hits. Renella would add on one more streikeout in the inning. The Cougars got to work in the bottom of the sixth after a leadoff single for J. Mahler followed by a single through the left side for B. Mahler and a sacrifice bunt from Xavier Zagerman (Chandler, Ariz.) would move both of them into scoring position. The Cougars would be unable to convert and leave both runners stranded and the Cougars still trailing by three.
- A full seventh inning that would only see six total batters would put the Green Knights back behind their bats in the eighth, where they would add on one more run to extend out to a four-run lead. The bottom of the eighth saw a leadoff single for Brendan Holloway (Vernon Hills, Ill.) followed with three walks and an error that would load the bases up and score two runs.
- The Green Knights would add on some insurance runs in the top of the ninth, taking a 7-3 lead, but the Cougars weren't rattled. A leadoff walk for Buckley paired with a hit by pitch for Holloway would put two runners on. A single from J. Mahler would load the bases up while B. Mahler would be hit by a pitch and walk in a run. With bases still loaded, a walk for Zagerman would score another, leaving the Cougars trailing 7-5 . Reid Benner (Pittsboro, Ind.) would pinch hit and drop a single into left field and score another, leaving the Cougars trailing by one with the game tying run on third. A sacrifice fly from Richie Sperando (Darien, Ill.) would tie the ball game up with only one out on the board while the Green Knights would choose to intentionally walk Connor Jerkatis (New Lenox, Ill.) to load the bases up and have a force out anywhere. With a 1-1 count, Jeffery Beckert (Mount Prospect, Ill.) would wear a pitch off his arm and walk in the game-winning run.
HIGHLIGHTS
GAME TWO: 9-2 W (8 INN.)
INSIDE THE BOX
- J. Mahler continued to lead at the plate for the Cougars, going three-for-four with three RBIs and two runs of his own. He picked up his second double of the day in this game.
- B. Mahler followed behind going two-for-four at the plate with three RBIs and one run while he also picked up a double.
- Zagerman became the second Cougar this season to pick up a triple while he went two-for-four at the plate with three RBIs.
- Matthew Licardi (Peoria, Ariz.) picked up his second win of the season, pitching a career-high six innings pitched for a career-high three strikeouts.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Game two started similar to game one with a three up, three down top of the first before J. Mahler go things going for the Cougars in the bottom of the inning with a double to left field. The Green Knights would strike first in this game, picking up one run in the top of the third. CUC would answer immediately, with back-to-back walks for Jerkatis and Beckert to put two on base. A single to left field from J. Mahler paired with a double from B. Mahler and a single from Zagerman would score four runs, giving the Cougars a lead they would refuse to give back.
- They would continue to find success at the plate with another walk for Beckert, Buckley, and Holloway to load the bases up for a single from J. Mahler to score two. A triple from Zagerman would clear the bases and put the Cougars up by seven.
- A leadoff strikeout for Licardi in the top of the fifth paired with two outs in the air would keep the Cougars on top. The bottom of the sixth would see a leadoff single from Buckley paired with hits from Holloway and B. Mahler to score their final run of the game, putting them ahead 9-1.
- The Green Knights would tack on one run in the top of the seventh, but with daylight running out, a quick three up, three down bottom of the seventh would see the game retired early, with CUC on top 9-2.
HIGHLIGHTS
UP NEXT
The Cougars will be back in action on Monday, April 6
th as they host Benedictine University for game two of their series. First pitch is set for 3:00 pm and all coverage can be found at cucougars.com/coverage.
