April 10, 2018 - "Spring Break" took on a whole new meaning recently for the Concordia University Cougars, as the baseball team played their first two games today since a March 31 sweep of Edgewood College. The results today were mixed, as the Cougars overcame a little rust and a late push by host University of Dubuque to win game one 8-6. In game two, the Cougars looked like they were on their way to a sweep with a four-run sixth, but the Spartans beat up on the Cougars' pitching staff and took advantage of a few miscues to win 16-5 in eight innings.

Andrew Massey showed no ill effects from the long layoff as he belted his first homer of the season to give the Cougars a 1-0 lead in the first inning. However, CUC starter Brian Musielak needed some time to work out the kinks as he walked four Spartans' batters in the bottom of the inning to force across a run. Fortunately, Musielak would find his groove starting in the next inning, and he would go on to pitch an effective six innings, allowing just the one run on two hits and improving to 2-1 on the season.  

The Cougars took the lead for good in the second as Keegan Tyrell led off with aa double and scored on a one-out single by Justin Rodriguez. They added another single tally in the third as Bryan VanDuser walked, moved up on a Massey single and scored when the Spartans' first baseman booted Mitch Wilson's ball for an error.

The momentum surged in the fourth as CUC exploded for five runs. VanDuser provided the key hit of the inning with a two-run single, and Wilson also singled home a run as the Cougars led 8-1 and looked to be in cruise control for game one.

As it happened, the first game was a nerve-wracking finish for Cougar fans as the Spartans flexed some homerun muscle. Will Doherty's two-run shot in the seventh got the Spartans within 8-3, and Dalton Garst added a solo shot in the eighth. When Justin Jensen homered to lead off the ninth and Isalino Valencia tripled two batters later, Mike Formella was summoned from the bullpen. A sacrifice fly scored Valencia, but Formella then retired te next batter on a liner to center field, and the Cougars had their 15th victory of the season in the books.

The Cougars went for the sweep with Adam Schmitt on the hill in game two. Schmitt and UD starter Michael Hoffman were locked in a pitchers' duel for the first part of the game, but the Spartans drew first blood in the fifth. From a CUC standpoint, it was an ugly bottom of the fifth as a hit batsman, an infield error and a wild pitch all contributed to a three-run inning.

Once again, however, the Cougars' penchant for answering their opponents' scores showed itself. With one out in the sixth, Massey and Wilson singled. Tyrell then reached on a Spartans' error, loading the bases. Kevin Coppin put the Cougars on the board with a sacrifice fly, scoring Massey. Jacob Frank was next, and he hammered one to left for his second homerun of the year. Just like that, the Cougars had a 4-3 lead. The Cougars added what appeared to be a big insurance run in the seventh when Jose Mercado, returning to the lineup after some injury-induced time off, led off with a bunt single and stole second base. Mercado scored on VanDuser's single to right for a 5-3 lead. VanDuser eventually made it to third with no out, but CUC was unable to score him, and the momentum suddenly shifted in a huge way to the home team.

Dubuque stunned CUC with a six-spot in the seventh, with the big blow a bases loaded, three-run double by pinch-hitter Thomas Kempf. The Spartans kept on charging in the eighth as they sent 11 men to the plate and combined six hits and three walks for seven runs. Luke Carroll's two-run single was the final blow, breaking the 10-run barrier and bringing the game to an end.

The Cougars (15-5) will put the game two loss behind them quickly as they return to action on Wednesday afternoon. They will put their 2-0 conference record on the line when they make up last Saturday's games versus Wisconsin Lutheran College. First pitch for game one will be at noon at WLC's Neumann Family Field.