ROCKFORD, Ill. - The Concordia University Wisconsin baseball team returned to action on Saturday, splitting a doubleheader in Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) play. The Falcons won game one 8-4 against the Rockford Regents before falling 5-2 in game two.
With the weekend's results, CUW now sits at 13-10 overall and 5-5 in NACC play.
In game one, a strong first inning helped propel the Falcons to victory as they plated three runs. The Falcons also tied a season-high with three home runs, marking the fourth time this season they have hit that many in a game.
The Falcons' first two runs came off a two-RBI single from senior Kyle Flynn (Downers Grove, Ill.), driving in sophomore Alex Ames (Plymouth, Wis.), who led off the inning with a single, and freshman Graham Kasten (Mequon, Wis.), who singled in the next at-bat. That gave CUW a 2-0 lead.
Senior Tyler Brandenburg (Saukville, Wis.) followed with a single to center field, scoring Flynn from second and extending the lead to 3-0.
On the mound, senior Zach Slome (Schaumburg, Ill.) was dominant, limiting Rockford to just one run over four innings while keeping the Regents' offense in check.
Leading 3-1 after four, the Falcons added two more runs in the top of the fifth thanks to freshman Gavin Crellin's (Phoenix, Ariz.) first collegiate home run—a two-run shot.
Rockford responded with a run in the bottom of the fifth and kept the pressure on, scoring two more in the seventh to close the gap to 5-4. But the Falcons answered in the top of the eighth, padding their lead with three more runs.
Brandenburg launched his first home run of the game to right field with one runner on, followed by a center-field blast from junior Matt Miller (Fredonia, Wis.) in the very next at-bat, pushing CUW's advantage to 8-4.
In the ninth, senior Owen Burns (Morris, Ill.) closed the door for the Falcons, earning his third save of the season by retiring three of the four batters he faced.
Slome earned the win, improving to 4-2 on the season, after pitching 6.2 innings and striking out seven. Burns went 2.1 innings in relief, allowing no runs. Offensively, Brandenburg led the way with three RBIs, while Flynn, Miller, Ames, and Kasten all posted two-hit games.
In game two, the Falcons struggled to maintain their momentum and fell 5-2. Rockford took a 1-0 lead in the first inning before Brandenburg tied it up with a solo home run to left-center in the second.
CUW briefly took a 2-1 lead in the top of the sixth on a solo shot by sophomore Connor Lasch (Chicago, Ill.), also to left-center. However, Rockford responded with a big bottom of the seventh, scoring four runs to take a commanding 5-2 lead, which they held onto for the remainder of the game.
Despite the loss, the Falcons played solid defense, and sophomore Alex Kuntz (Richfield, Wis.) pitched 6.2 innings, striking out 10 batters. Senior Chris Rooney (Mundelein, Ill.) struck out three in his 1.1 innings of relief.
Next up, the Falcons return to Kapco Park for a NACC showdown with the Edgewood Eagles.
