ROCKFORD, ILL.- In their final regular season game of the year, the Concordia University Chicago Cougars saw a tale of two game, splitting with Rockford University. After a quiet offensive showing in game one, the Cougars flipped the script and let loose in game two, finding a power-filled response for game two. The game two win secured CUC's seeding in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) Tournament as the three seed while
Brandon Mahler (Vernon Hills, Ill.) officially wrote his name atop the record book.
GAME ONE: 4-1 L
INSIDE THE BOX
- Jeffery Beckert (Mount Prospect, Ill.) led at the plate going two-for-three at the plate.
- Cam Buckley (New Lenox, Ill.) went two-for-four at the plate with one run of his own.
- B. Mahler drove in the lone run of the game while going one-for-four at the plate.
- Ryan Renella (Bartlett, Ill.) pitched six innings on the mound while picking up four strikeouts.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Regents struck first, picking up two runs in the bottom of the first after the Cougars were left blank to start the game. In the top of the second, Xavier Zagerman (Chandler, Ariz.) got things going with a two out rally after sending a ball to left center. Connor Jerkatis (New Lenox, Ill.) and Beckert would each get hit by a pitch and load the bases up, but the Cougars wouldn't be able to capitalize on it and head to the bottom of the second still scoreless.
- A quick three batter inning would put the Cougar offense back behind their bats where a leadoff single for Buckley and a single for Jake Mahler (Vernon Hills, Ill.) would put runners on the corner bags. A single from B. Mahler would score Buckley and officially put the Cougars on the board.
- The Regents would strike back in the bottom of the third, putting one run up off two hits and the Cougars would struggle to retaliate.
- A single from Beckert and a stolen base would put him in scoring position but would be erased from the base path to close the inning.
- The Regents would put their last run of the game on the board in the bottom of the fourth, giving the Cougars the opportunity to bounce back. The rest of the game would see limited opportunities as Brendan Holloway (Vernon Hills, Ill.), Richie Sperando (Darien, Ill.), and Beckert would be the only three to collect hits for the remainder of the game, closing it out with the 4-1 loss.
HIGHLIGHTS
GAME TWO: 12-2 W
INSIDE THE BOX
- J. Mahler sparked up in game two, going three-for-five at the plate with four RBIs and two runs while collecting a double, triple, and home run.
- B. Mahler also came to life, going two-for-three at the plate with three runs and three RBIs while collecting two home runs. With Mahler's three RBIs, he wrote his name in the number one spot for single-season RBIs, surpassing Connor Brandon (Joliet, Ill.) from 2019.
- Dom Owens (Frankfurt, Ill.) went three-for-five at the plate with two runs and two RBIs while collecting a single, triple, and home run.
- Buckley was the other Cougar to go yard, picking up a solo homer late in the game while also picking up one stolen base on the day.
- Matthew Licardi (Peoria, Ariz.), Eliot Higgins (Park Ridge, Ill.), and Anthony Pullano (Park Ride, Ill.) each dished on the mound while collecting combined five strikeouts in seven innings.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- J. Mahler got things going early in the game launching a double to left center, but he would be the lone Cougar to get a hit in the inning and be stranded on base. A shutdown inning from Licardi would hand things right back to the Cougars where Beckert would pick up where he left off in game one and picked up an infield single. Another three-batter inning would bring the top of the Cougar lineup up to start the top of the third.
- Holloway would single to right field and put one on base for J. Mahler to launch the first home run of the day over left field and put the Cougars up 2-0. For the second time this season, B. Mahler would follow up his brother's home run with one of his own and quickly put the Cougars up 3-0 after the back-to-back homers. Owens capitalized on the momentum and launched a ball deep into right center and made his way to third. With Owens 90 feet from the plate, he would be unable to score, but the Cougars would stay ahead 3-0.
- The Regents would strike back right away, tacking on two runs before putting a new arm on the mound to try to battle the hot CUC offense. Buckley would feed off some momentum and launch a solo shot of his own and put the Cougars back ahead by two.
- Things would sit scoreless until the top of the fifth where Owens would launch a homer of his own and score two. Jack Linko (New Lenox, Ill.) would join the party and single up the middle before a walk from Beckert would put two runners on. Unable to convert, the Cougars would head to the bottom of the fifth leading 6-2.
- The top of the sixth would see a walk for Holloway paired with a triple from J. Mahler to score one run before B. Mahler's second home run of the day would put the Cougars up by seven. A single from Owens and a hit by pitch for Zagerman would put two runners on for Linko to send a ball deep into centerfield to score two.
- Holding the Regents scoreless continually, the last run of the day would come after Buckley would make his way to third base after being hit by a pitch, advancing on a wild pitch, and then stealing third. After being planted on third, a hard hit ball to the left side of the infield from J. Mahler would score Buckley and put the final run of the day on the board.
- A shutdown seventh inning for Pullano would leave the Cougars ahead by ten, securing the 12-2 win in seven innings.
HIGHLIGHTS
UP NEXT
The win over Rockford secured the seeding in the NACC Tournament, with the Cougars locking their spot in the three slot. With the three seed, the Cougars bypass the single-elimination game in the tournament and will play their first game of the tournament at 10:00 am in Lisle, Ill. The Cougars will either face Benedictine University, Edgewood University, or Rockford depending on the winner of the first-round games. Updates regarding the NACC tournament can be found at cucougars.com.
