March 11, 2017 - While much more was at stake than the last time that the Concordia-Chicago Cougars and Wisconsin-Lacrosse Eagles met on the baseball diamond (last May in the NCAA III Midwest Regional), today's regular-season game at Chain of Lakes Park in Winter Haven, FL figured to be a good early-season test for both top 25 programs.In the end, the #7 Eagles prevailed 6-2 over the #25 Cougars behind the pitching of their All-American hurler Caleb Boushley and some timely hitting.

Cody Caballero made his third start of the season after sitting out the 2016 season, and the southpaw started out like a house on fire, facing the minimum none batters over the first three innings and striking out five. The Cougars struck the first blow in the bottom of the third as Grant Davis reached on an infield error. Doug Matthews then moved Davis to third on a beautifully executed hit-and-run. Bryan Van Duser followed with a grounder to shortstop. The only play was at first as Davis crossed the plate. The Cougars were still set up for more runs in the inning, but  Kevin Coppin's hot liner was snared by the UWL first baseman who threw back to second for the inning-ending double play.

Uw-Lacrosse quickly erased the CUC lead in the fourth. The Eagles put two aboard via singles, but Caballero recorded his sixth strikeout and got a foul pop to Brent Spohr for the second out. He had a 1-2 count on the number five batter, but Brady Stolzman took a 1-2 changeup to the left field corner for a two-run double and a 2-1 lead.

The Cougars fought back in the fifth to draw level with the Eagles. Connor Brandon drew CUC's first walk off Boushley and moved to second with one out when Matthews was hit by a pitch. Brandon then moved to third on a passed ball, an alert bit of base running that paid off when the Eagles could not turn two on VanDuser's roller to the second baseman. VanDuser would make it to second on an errant pickoff throw but would be left there when the first baseman made a nice play on a hard smash for the third out.

UW-Lacrosse took the lead for good in the top of the sixth. The first two batters reached base via singles. They would score on two sacrifice flies in the inning to take a 4-2 lead. In the seventh, they scored twice off Caballero and Mike Formella with a couple of walks setting up the big hit of the inning, a two-run single by Sam Prissel for a 6-2 lead.

That would end the scoring if not the drama. The Cougars got a leadoff hit by Brandon in the seventh, but a bouncer up the middle took the UWL shortstop right to the second base bag for a 6-3 double play. In the eighth, VanDuser and Coppin greeted the new UWL reliever with base hits, but a strikeout-throw out double play quickly produced two outs, and a fly to center ended the Cougars' best remaining chance.

Concordia-Chicago (6-3) will finish the seven-game Florida trip on Sunday with a game against Spalding University.