VERONA, Wis. – A berth to the Northern Athletics Conference Tournament is within reach for the Edgewood College baseball team, but the Eagles will need to find their winning touch again to claim it. The Eagles dropped a pair of games to 19th-ranked Concordia University Chicago, losing 11-5 in the opener and a heartbreaking 3-2 loss in the night cap.
In the second game, Edgewood College (11-21, 9-9 NAC) scratched out a 2-0 lead, but couldn't hang on until the end. With two outs in the fourth inning, two walks and a Marc Ostrowski single off Cougar starter Dan Kluss loaded the bases for the Eagles' Pat Manning. Manning battled through a long at bat for a bases loaded walk to put the Eagles on the board. In the fifth inning, Jake Zadra and Ryan O'Dell delivered back-to-back doubles to stake the Eagles to a 2-0 lead.
Starting pitcher Taylor Hillmann deserved more than a no decision for his outstanding effort against the Cougars. Hillmann baffled Concordia Chicago through the first seven innings, giving up no runs and just five hits, while striking out two hitters. Hillmann was finally relieved in the seventh after giving up a pair of one out singles. After Hillmann left, the Cougars scored a run on an RBI single by Kyle Huber, and then took the lead on a two-run single by Derek Binninger.
Edgewood College opened the ninth inning with a single by Kody Parman and moved him to third base with one out on a Zadra sacrifice bunt and a wild pitch. However, Cougar closer Steve Cox struck out the final two Eagle hitters to complete the sweep.
Edgewood College was led by Andrew Lauritzen, Parman and Zadra who had two hits apiece. Lauritzen and Zadra each had doubles. Brock McGinn who had relieved Hillmann in the eighth took the loss.
In the opener, Edgewood College was tied 1-1 with Concordia Chicago (25-5, 14-4 NAC) in the second inning after a Sean Thompson sacrifice fly scored Alex Jaskulski who had doubled to lead off. The Cougars tacked on two runs in the third, but knocked Eagle starter Brad Clark out of the game in the fifth inning with four runs for a 7-1 advantage.
The Cougars had extended their lead to 10-1 before the Eagles battled back in the eighth inning. After a pair of walks to begin the inning, Jake Zadra delivered a double to left center field to drive home two runs. O'Dell then worked a 3-2 count, before blasting his second home run of the season over the right center field wall to bring the Eagles within 10-5. The Cougars added another run in the ninth for the final margin of victory.
Ostrowski was the only Eagle with multiple hits in the game, going 2-for-4. Zadra and O'Dell each had two runs batted in. Clark fell to 1-3 with the loss, allowing four earned runs on six hits in 4.2 innings pitched.
With the pair of losses, Edgewood College slips to seventh place in the NAC standings with four conference games to play. Only the top six teams will qualify for the NAC Tournament. Edgewood College gets their next chance to move up on Sunday with a doubleheader at Rockford College. The Eagles and Regents get underway from Aviators Stadium at 1:00 p.m.