MEQUON, Wis. – The Concordia University Wisconsin baseball team split a NACC doubleheader with Dominican on Saturday afternoon, dropping the opener before responding with a decisive victory in game two. The Falcons move to 9-11 overall and 5-1 in conference play.
 
CUW continues to hold a 28-17 advantage in the all-time series against the Stars.
 
GAME 1 | Dominican 4, Concordia Wisconsin 2
Game one featured a pitcher's duel, as Dominican's starter went eight innings while senior Nick Barksdale (Walnut Creek, Calif.) took the mound for the Falcons and pitched six strong frames.
 
Dominican plated three runs through the sixth inning before CUW got on the board. Freshman Mick Vagner (Crown Point, Ind.) doubled to center field, allowing senior Brandon McCray (Corona, Calif.) to score after he singled earlier in the inning and stole a base.
 
After a scoreless seventh inning, the Falcons closed the gap to one when sophomore Colyn Lessila (Germantown, Wis.) scored on a sacrifice fly to center field. Dominican added an insurance run in the top of the ninth to extend the lead to 4-2.
 
CUW threatened in the bottom of the ninth when junior Jason Valdez (Glendale Heights, Ill.) singled to left field and stole second, but the Stars were able to hold on for the victory.
 
Six Falcons recorded hits in the contest, with Vagner accounting for the team's lone double.
 
Barksdale faced 27 batters in six innings, striking out nine and walking just one. Freshman Ben Peterson (Minocqua, Wis.) pitched the final three innings in relief, allowing one walk and striking out one. Barksdale took the loss and falls to 1-2 on the season.
 
GAME 2 | Concordia Wisconsin 16, Dominican 3 (7 inn.)
Dominican struck first in the top of the second, but the Falcons responded with a 10-run outburst in the bottom half of the inning. It marked the first time CUW scored 10 runs in an inning since doing so against Saint John's (Minn.) in a doubleheader last season.
 
Senior Matt Miller (Fredonia, Wis.) drove in the first run with an RBI single to left field, while junior Alex Ames (Plymouth, Wis.) followed with a two-RBI double to center. An error allowed Ames to advance to third and Jason Valdez to reach base, and Ames later scored during a pickoff attempt.
 
CUW continued the rally with five consecutive singles from Dylan Hein (Fr.-Dyer, Ind.), Colyn Lessila, Miller, Brandon McCray, and Ames, bringing in five more runs and giving the Falcons a commanding 10-1 lead after two innings.
 
The Falcons added three more runs in the third inning, highlighted by a two-RBI single from Miller and an RBI single from McCray. Junior Connor Lasch (Chicago, Ill.) added another run with an RBI single in the fourth.
 
In the fifth inning, sophomore Gavin Crellin (Phoenix, Ariz.) delivered a pinch-hit single to center field that drove in two runs for his first RBIs of the season.
 
Dominican added one more run late, but CUW secured the 16-3 victory to split the doubleheader.
 
Miller led the Falcons at the plate, going 3-for-3 with four RBIs. Ames scored three runs and recorded two hits in four plate appearances. Ames, McCray, and junior Hayden Reich (Sussex, Wis.) each hit doubles, while Valdez added a triple.
 
Freshman Easton Oliver (West Bend, Wis.) started on the mound and struck out four batters. Freshman Nolan Sand (Mishicot, Wis.) pitched the next 1.2 innings before sophomore Caleb Couser (Abingdon, Md.) closed the game in the final inning. Oliver earned the win to improve to a perfect 3-0 on the season.
 
The Falcons return to action Tuesday on the road against Aurora. Game one is scheduled for noon, with game two set to follow around 3 p.m.