May 19, 2015 - Once again this evening, the Concordia-Chicago Cougars showed everyone how they are capable of turning up the offensive pressure in a hurry. Trailing 3-2 halfway through tonight's game in the NCAA III Midwest Regionals in LaCrosse, WI, the Cougars erupted with 14 runs over the final four innings to defeat the Norse of Luther College by a 16-3 score.

With the win, the Cougars (34-11) will prepare for a semifinal meeting on Friday afternoon against the host school, the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse. The winner of the 4:30 game will have the inside track to the regional championship, needing only to come back on Saturday and win one game to advance to the Division III World Series in Appleton next week.

Tonight's pitching matchup featured CUC's Alex Meyers (Edwardsville, IL/H.S.) against Luther's Blake Peterson. In Peterson, the Cougars faced one of the better fastballs they have seen this season. The righthander was able to contain CUC's bats for much of the first five innings. However, the Cougars scratched across a run in the second as Mitch Wilson (Oswego, IL/H.S.) worked a walk on a full-count pitch, and Grant Davis (Morris, IL/Morris Community) singled for CUC's first hit. Peterson came back to fan the next two batters, two of 11 strikeouts he recorded for the game. But just as he was on the verge of getting out of the inning, Colin Bethran (Schaumburg, IL/H.S.) doubled to left, just a few feet inside the line, as Wilson came around to score the game's first run.

Meyers, meanhile, escaped issuing two walks in the first and then retired the side in order in the second. However, in the third, Meyers suffered his one rough inning of the game. After the number nine batter bunted for the Norse's first hit, leadoff hitter Alex Weber drew a walk. Meyers retired the next two batters, but then walked the next two hitters to force in the tying run. Bryce Hingst followed with a line drive that just got over Wilson's glove and into right-center. Two runs scored as Luther took a 3-1 lead into the fourth.

Wilson cut into that lead quickly in the fourth. He pulled a fastball down the rightfield line, and the ball hooked around the foul line, just staying fair. The homer was Wilson's second of the year and made it a 3-2 game, still in favor of Luther.

Meyers continued onward and had a good three-inning stint after his rough third. He gave the Cougars a chance to catch up and, finally in the sixth, CUC did so in a big way. Brent Spohr (Ingleside, IL/Grant Community) led off with a walk. One out later, Davis singled to center. Up to the plate came Kevin Coppin (Lisle, IL/H.S.), and he lined a single to right-center, bringing home the tying run. Andrew Kroncke (St. Charles, IL/St. Charles North) then stepped to the plate and laid down a perfect safety squeeze. Peterson tried to shovel the ball to the catcher and tried to get Davis at the plate, but the throw sailed behind home plate as Davis scored and Kroncke motored all the way to third. He would score a few minutes later as Bryan VanDuser (Plainfield, IL/Plainfield North) doubled home a run to stake CUC to a 6-3 lead.

Concordia began to open up the lead in the seventh. After one out, a walk to Spohr and a single by Wilson put an end to Peterson's night. The new reliever retired Davis on a 4-3 putout, but both runners moved up 90 feet. That would be a significant play as Coppin hit a chooper up the middle that somehow squeezed through for a base hit, allowing Spohr and Wilson to score. Coppin then stole second and came in on Kroncke's single.

The Cougars poured it on over the final two innings. In the eighth, VanDuser walked and Joe Silva (Arlington Heights, IL/Hersey) singled to right. Silva was caught in no-man's land after rounding first, but the situation actually worked in the Cougar' favor after the throw back to first got by the fielder, and into the dugout. Silva wound up on third with VanDuser scoring, and Silva scored after scoring on Andrew Massey's (Chicago, IL/St. Rita). One out later, Wilson tripled to the wall in left-center, scoring Massey. His hit set a new single-season record for triples in a season with eight.

In the ninth, CUC added one more shot. Back-to-back doubles by Bethran and VanDuser put a run on the board quickly. With two out, Spohr got hold of a pitch and drove it deep to leftfield, clearing the high fence for a homer. The shot was Spohr's fourth of the year and ended the scoring for the game.

Meyers earned the win, improving to 6-2 on the year while striking out three, He was ably assisted by Brian Musielak (Chicago, IL/Brother Rice) who pitched the seventh, and Rob Lock (Chicago, IL/St. Ignatius) who worked the eighth and ninth innings.  

Concordia-Chicago will play a much-anticipated showdown with the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse on Friday afternoon at 4:30.