DANVILLE, KY. — In what will be a three-game series, the Concordia University Chicago (CUC) baseball team traveled down south for the weekend to face off against Centre College. With two games on Saturday and one on Sunday, the Cougars looked to open up hot in this matchup. In their first two games of play against the Colonels, the Cougars swept on the day 8-4 and 5-2.
Game One: 8-4 W
Inside the Box Score:
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Brandon Mahler (Vernon Hills, Ill.) led the way offensively, going three-for-five with a double and a run
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Right behind him was Tyler Dorsch (Phoenix, Ariz.), who went two-for-three with a double and a home run. Michael Kasik (Chandler, Ariz.) also knocked out his first long ball of the year
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Wyatt McLaughlin (Cave Creek, Ariz.) picked up the win on the mound after six complete innings and two strikeouts
How It Happened:
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The first inning would start off with some Cougar offense, as Julio Cajigas (Romeoville, Ill.) picked up a single to center field. But, he would be caught stealing on the next play and CUC would not score in the first frame of play.
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The next three innings would not result in any runs for the Cougars, giving the Colonels the opportunity to take the lead 1-0 in the bottom of the third. However, the shifty defense would hold Centre to just one run.
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In the top of the fourth, the score would bust open for the Cougars. Dorsch and Tyler Krater (Phoenix, Ariz.) would both pick up base hits, allowing Kasik to hit the first run in for CUC 1-1. Mahler then smacked a base hit to load the bases, and Caleb Anderson (Plainfield, Ill.) would come in clutch to score Kasik and Krater 3-1.
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With Centre bringing in a new arm, CUC was not slowing down. Alejandro Muñoz (Evergreen Park, Ill.) grabbed a hit, reloading the bases for the Cougars. Yashion Boswell (Lynwood, Ill.) would snag himself an RBI 4-1. Cajigas had a quality at bat, walking in another run. Then, Dorsch would push out a sacrifice fly to bring in another run to the rally 6-1.
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Holding the Colonels defensively, the Cougars got another opportunity at the plate. Kasik would smack his ball out of the park for a solo shot 7-1.
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However, Centre made a quick response with a homer of their own to try and chip away at the score 7-2. This was nothing big for the CUC defense, as they made some fancy defensive plays to get out of the jam.
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Centre continued to tack on runs, pulling the score to 7-4 with CUC still leading. The score would remain the same, as Dylan Ferraro (Windsor, Colo.) came in on the mound and made quick work of the opponent offense.
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Dorsch would then launch the second long ball of the afternoon, pulling the Cougar lead to 8-4.
Game Two: 5-2 W
Inside the Box Score:
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Both Dorsch and Krater picked up two hits apiece, leading the way at the plate
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Anderson was an RBI machine on the afternoon, picking up three in game two, for a total of five on the day
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Dylan Scott (Bartlett, Ill.) earned his first win on the mound after four innings of work, two strikeouts, and only two runs allowed. David Deimling (Bloomingdale, Ill.) also snagged his first save of the season after closing out with three strikeouts
How It Happened:
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Moving to the bottom of the second, Centre was looking for a way to take the game over 2-1. But CUC was able to work their way out of the inning and keep the Colonels at bay.
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Looking to shift momentum, the Colonels blasted a ball out of the park to tie the game up 2-2.
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However, the Cougars knew when to strike, as Anderson was hit by a pitch, and then made his way around to score off of some defensive miscues 3-2.
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With the bases loaded, Scott was able to get out of the jam and avoid the Colonels making a come back.
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The top of the lineup would start the rally once again, as Kasik was able to score Dorsch 4-2. Anderson was able to put a ball in play that also scored Krater, pulling the lead to 5-2.
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Then a huge play by the Cougar defense, a double-play by first baseman Kasik, would draw CUC into a great spot to win out on the day.
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The Cougars continued to make great defensive plays, as a first and third situation would lead to an out at home to close the bottom of the sixth.
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All the way through the eighth, both opponents were locked in battle and did not allow runs to cross the plate.
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Deimling would finish off the sweep on the day, striking out three Colonels and taking the win 5-2.
The Cougars will have one more game against Centre College tomorrow at 12 p.m. EST. Coverage for all of our sports can be found at cucougars.com/coverage.
