MONTGOMERY, Ill. – The Concordia University Wisconsin baseball team split a conference doubleheader with Aurora on the road Monday afternoon. The games were originally scheduled for Tuesday but were moved up due to forecasted storms in the area. With the split, the Falcons move to 10-12 overall and 6-2 in NACC play.
GAME 1 | Aurora 20, Concordia Wisconsin 5 (7 inn.)
The Falcons struck first with a pair of runs in the opening inning. Junior
Jason Valdez (Glendale Heights, Ill.) delivered an RBI single, followed by an RBI fielder's choice from freshman
Jack Anzelmo (Appleton, Wis.) to give CUW an early lead.
Concordia Wisconsin held the advantage until the bottom of the second, when Aurora erupted for eight runs to take control of the game. The Spartans continued to build on their lead while limiting the Falcons to three additional runs.
Anzelmo drove in two more runs with an RBI single in the third inning. Sophomore
Graham Kasten (Mequon, Wis.) added another run with an RBI double in the fifth, and sophomore
Brady Coons (Kimberly, Wis.) followed with a sacrifice fly to bring home the Falcons' final run.
Junior
Connor Lasch (Chicago, Ill.) led CUW at the plate, going 3-for-3 with a double. Senior
Tyler Murray (Kankakee, Ill.) also recorded a double in his lone plate appearance.
Aurora forced six Falcon pitchers to appear in the game. Freshman
Jack Stuck (Bayside, Wis.) made the start and was followed by
Ben Peterson (Fr.-Minocqua, Wis.),
Ben Jimenez (So.-Waukesha, Wis.),
Jack Gulley (Fr.-Cypress, Texas), Niolai Nawracaj (Sr.-New Lenox, Ill.), and
Lucas Kearney (Jr.-Tinley Park, Ill.). Stuck was charged with the loss and falls to 0-3 on the season.
GAME 2 | Concordia Wisconsin 17, Aurora 6
After a scoreless first inning, Aurora scored three runs in the bottom of the second to take an early lead. The Falcons responded with runs in each of the final five innings, highlighted by a seven-run rally in the fourth.
Freshman
Mick Vagner (Crown Point, Ind.) started the scoring for CUW with an RBI triple to right-center field, driving in
Alex Ames, who had led off the inning with a single. Freshman
Dylan Hein (Dyer, Ind.) followed with a sacrifice fly to bring Vagner home.
Aurora committed several errors in the fourth inning, which the Falcons capitalized on. Two errors and a wild pitch allowed three runs to score early in the inning. Vagner later added an RBI single, and two batters later
Graham Kasten launched a three-run home run over the left field fence, forcing a pitching change for the Spartans.
The Falcons added four more runs across the fifth and sixth innings. Ames collected an RBI triple and senior
Brandon McCray (Corona, Calif.) added an RBI double in the fifth. In the sixth, junior
Luke Heinkel (Brookfield, Wis.) blasted a two-run home run over the center field fence for his second homer of the season.
CUW capped the scoring with a five-run seventh inning. Hein drove in the first run of the frame with an RBI single. Kasten followed with his second home run of the game, a three-run shot to center field.
Jack Anzelmo later entered as a pinch hitter and launched his fifth career home run.
Kasten led the Falcons offensively, going 2-for-4 with two home runs and six RBIs. Vagner added three hits in a 3-for-5 performance, while Ames and McCray each contributed a stolen base.
Freshman
Preston Regnier (Yorkville, Ill.) made the start on the mound, pitching five innings while allowing six hits and striking out four. Freshman
Russell Roodenburg (Scottsdale, Ariz.) earned the save with two innings of relief, striking out two and issuing no walks. Regnier collected his first collegiate victory and improves to 1-1 on the season.
The Falcons return to Illinois on Saturday for a doubleheader against Rockford. First pitch is scheduled for noon, with game two to follow at approximately 3 p.m.
