Concordia University Chicago Athletics

River Forest, Ill. - The Concordia University Chicago (CUC) Cougars softball team were at home to celebrate not only Senior Day, but for their final NACC matchup, welcoming the Spartans of Aurora University. In game one, the Cougars took on a quick lead and easily took game one, 3-2. In game two, the Cougars kept up their momentum and took game two, 2-1, sweeping their final opponents for the regular season.
 
Game One
Inside the Box Score:

• Alyssa Campos (Eastvale, Calif.) went two for three at the plate in game one, picking up a run and an RBI for the Cougars.
• Both McKyler Morris (Belvidere, Ill.) and Arissa Santos (Moreno Valley, Calif.) went one for three at the plate in game one.
• Haley Gulsby (Englewood, Fla.) also went one for three at the plate in game one, grabbing a run.
• Alyssa Lopez (Corona, Calif.) picked up a win in the circle with 1.2 innings pitched and five batters faced.

 
Here's What Happened:

• The game started up with the Spartans getting close to home, a runner stealing third and making the Cougars tense. The Cougars stopped them in their tracks with some easy outs. The bottom of the inning began with Emily Garcia (Eastvale, Calif.) getting walked. Santos then hit a double to left field, helping Garcia advance to third. Melisa Hadzic (Westchester, Ill.) fouled into right field with a sacrifice fly, which helped Santos advance to third and Garcia to home, scoring the Cougars' first run of the day. The Cougars ended the inning in the lead, 1-0.
• The Spartans did not last long at the top of the second inning as the Cougars collected their outs quickly. The Cougars began with Campos singling to right field, but first would be as far as the team would go this inning as the Spartans grabbed their outs, ending the inning.
• The Spartan got walked and hit a single before the Cougars got them back in the field in the third inning. The Spartans then retaliated with three straight outs from the Cougars, coming back behind the bats just in time for the fourth inning.
• The fourth inning began with the Spartans only making it to first due to an error by the shortstop. After that, the Cougars finished collecting their outs and went up to bat. The Cougars started out the bottom of the fourth inning with two outs from Hadzic and Eden Pufahl (Laguna Hills, Calif.) before Morris finally hit a single to shortstop. A final out from Campos would end the inning, the score remaining the same.
• The fifth inning proved to be uneventful as both teams worked quickly for their outs, moving swiftly into the next inning.
• The sixth inning broke open with a Spartan singling to right field, moving on to second due to an error from right field. This helped advance another runner to third and then home for a run, putting the Spartans on the board. Another Spartan followed this up with a double into left field, which allowed for another run. The Cougars ended the chaos with their outs. The Cougars started their comeback with a single from Gulsby into left field, who was also able to advance to second off of an error by left field. An out from Santos allowed for Gulsby to then advance to third. Hadzic then performed another sacrifice fly into right field, allowing Gulsby to score. As the inning came to a close, the teams were tied, 2-2.
• The final inning started with quick outs by the Cougars, giving them their last chance to take back the lead. Campos pumped out a great home run into right field, coming around to score another Cougar run, helping to take game one, 3-2.

 
The Cougars put on a great show defensively, a surprise offensive comeback gave them game one, 3-2.
 
Game Two
Inside the Box Score

• Eliza Auger (Littleton, Colo.) went two for two at the plate in game two, picking up one run and two RBIs for the Cougars.
• Gulsby and Santos both went one for three at the plate once more in game two.
• Campos also went one for three at the plate, tacking on another run.

 
Here's What Happened

• The second game started out similarly to the first, a Spartan only getting to first before the Cougars came back to bat. Gulsby started off by hitting a single into left field. Both Santos and Hadzic reached first off of a fielder's choice to second, those chosen outs closing the inning.
• The second inning began with a double from a Spartan, the Cougars grabbing their outs before their opponents could move any further. The bottom of the inning started with Campos hitting a single through the left side. Mayah Larenas (Chino, Calif.) then reached first off of an error by first, helping Campos advance to third. Auger then singled up the middle, which advanced Larenas to second while Campos made it home for a run. This was followed up by Garcia reaching first off of a fielder's choice to third, getting Larenas out, but Auger was able to advance to second. The Cougars would end the inning in the lead, 1-0.
• The third inning began with three easy outs collected by the Cougars. The Spartans were sent back into the field; Santos hit a double into left center field. Hadzic then reached first off of a fielder's choice to third, which unfortunately, got Santos out. The score remained stagnant as the inning closed out.
• The Spartans made it to first before their portion of the inning concluded. The Cougars came back around, the Spartans grabbing two outs before Auger mustered up a home run into left field, putting another Cougar run on the board. As the teams moved into the following inning, the Cougars remained in the lead, 2-0.
• The fifth inning opened with the Spartans getting all the way to third, leaving runners in scoring position, but the Cougars hindered their advancement. The Spartans grabbed their outs from the Cougars, both teams moving into the next inning.
• In the sixth inning, some plays started out the Spartans' half of the inning. The Spartans collected another run when a Spartan singled up the middle, letting a runner advance to second while another runner made it home. The Cougars came back behind the bats, but with no results as the Spartans got three straight outs to end the inning, the Cougars still in the lead, 2-1.
• The final inning went by quickly as the Cougars collected their final outs of the game, taking a win and putting game two under their belts, 2-1.

 
What's Next
The Cougars took on a sweeping win in their final matchup of the regular season, however, their season isn't over yet as they will make their appearance in the NACC Tournament on Thursday, May 7th. Although final seeding for all teams in the tournament have not been confirmed, the Cougars are heading into the tournament as the seventh seed. They will play the six seed team which could be either Lakeland University, Aurora University, or Marian University. They will have to wait until after tomorrow's games to determine their future opponent. Coverage for the NACC Tournament can be found at cucougars.com while the tournament schedule can be found by clicking the link here.