May 12, 2018 – The Concordia-Chicago Cougars had no time to celebrate their 4-2 win over Marian University but found themselves shifting gears immediately to take on Concordia University Wisconsin. The Falcons were feeling reenergized after eliminating Benedictine University earlier in the day, but CUC freshman Cole Carman took the wind out of the home team's sails with a stellar performance. The Cougars defeated their arch rivals 8-2 and have advanced to the final day of the tournament with a chance to win the conference title by taking three games.

The Cougars batted as the visiting team for the first time this weekend and grabbed the lead right away. Jose Mercado led off with a picture-perfect bunt to the right side and won the race to the bag. Mercado was replaced at first on Bryan VanDuser's fielder's choice grounder, but VanDuser stole second and then scored when Andrew Massey laced a hot shot to center that the CUW shortstop just missed making a lunging grab.

Concordia-Chicago added on in the second. Keegan Tyrell lined a shot over the third baseman's leaping attempt for a double. An infield hit by Mercado and a bunt single by VanDuser loaded the bases. The Falcons then missed a chance to turn a double play on Joe Silva's grounder as they got the force at second as Tyrell scored. Massey then continued his hot day at the plate with a shot to the alley in right-center. Silva came flying around the bases, following Mercado across the plate as the Cougars grabbed a 4-0 lead.

While the Cougars were building their lead, Carman was holding the home team in check. He faced the minimum nine batters through four, allowing a leadoff walk in the second but seeing that quickly erased in a 5-4-3 double play. Carman held the Falcons hitless until one out in the fifth when Kyle Hilliard reached out and lined a soft single to right. However, Carman came back to retire the next two batters on a fly out and a strikeout (his first) to leave the score at 4-0.

With rain making its lone appearance of the day and temperatures falling, the Cougars turned up the heat and put this game away in the sixth. Justin Rodriguez led off with a double, spelling the end to CUW starter Andrew Gibbons' day. Connor Brandon greeted the new reliever with an infield single, and Keegan Tyrell scored both runners with a triple past the right fielder. Tyrell would score on a sacrifice fly by VanDuser, and the final run of the inning came as Mercado was hit by a pitch, stole second and scored on Silva's base hit.

After the four-spot, the only question for Cougar fans was how deep into the game Carman would pitch. He answered with seven shutout innings before the Falcons got on the board in the eighth on a couple of hits, a double and an error. When Abelardo Paz Agudelo came on the pitch the ninth for CUC, Carman's final line read eight innings (99 pitches), two runs (one earned) on four hits with one strikeout and one walk.

Concordia-Chicago head coach Mike Stawski praised the rookie right-hander's effort following the game: "For a freshman to dominate like he did tonight, that's something you don't expect. But once Cole got past six innings, everything after that was a bonus, and for him to go eight innings was great to see, and it really saved our bullpen for tomorrow."

The Cougars (31-11) are now one of three teams left standing in the tournament. They will play at 8 a.m. Sunday against the MSOE Raiders. If CUC wins, they will advance to the championship round where they must beat Aurora University in back-to-back games to secure their sixth consecutive NACC tournament title.