May 6, 2018 - The  Concordia-Chicago Cougars hosted the North Central Cardinals this afternoon in a battle of top-ranked region teams. The single game today figured to be a good tune-up for the two teams' respective conference tournaments after both teams clinched their regular-season titles earlier in the weekend. However, it was a one-sided game in River Forest as the Cougars used a seven-run second inning to demolish the Cardinals by a score of 13-1 in a game abbreviated to seven innings.

The Cougars' only adversity came at the very beginning, as three infield errors made for a rocky inning for CUC starter Cody Caballero. However, the senior lefty worked out of trouble, getting consecutive fly balls to right field to keep the visitors off the board. Caballero would work two more innings, stranding four more base runners but not allowing any to cross the plate.

The scoring began in the bottom of the first with two out and nobody on. Joe Silva smoked a single to center, and Andrew Massey then drove a deep shot to left. Only the wind blowing in kept his ball from going onto Division Street, but the ball hit the wall and bounced away, allowing Massey to pull into second base with a double while Silva scored. Mitch Wilson then went opposite field with a single to left, making it a 2-0 lead after one.

The next inning turned this meeting of two 2017 World Series teams into a laugher. A walk, base hit and an error on Jose Mercado's sacrifice quickly loaded the bases. A walk to Bryan VanDuser forced in a run, and Silva followed with his second hit in as many innings to score two for a 5-0 lead. One out later, a walk to Wilson reloaded the bases as North Central's manager went to the bullpen for the first time on the day. Keegan Tyrell greeted the new reliever with a two-run single on the first pitch. Later in the inning, it was Connor Brandon ripping a two-run single up the middle to complete the scoring surge and put CUC' lead at nine.

Concordia-Chicago went on to score in each of the next three innings before finally being held scoreless in the sixth. Mercado doubled and VanDuser singled for the Cougars' run in the third. A triple by Kevin Coppin drove in two runs in the fourth, and Wilson's double scored Silva (walk) in the fifth.

As expected, CUC head coach Mike Stawski used today's game to give some of his pitchers an opportunity to get some work in. Anthony Rogers pitched the fourth and allowed the Cardinals' lone run  on a two-out bad-hop single past Massey at first base. Noah Dressler, Cole Carman and Cade Laudenschlager followed Rogers with one scoreless inning each. Dressler was credited with the win, as he pitched a 1-2-3 fifth, including a 13-pitch battle with NCC's cleanup hitter before retiring him on a fly ball.

In the race for the Cougars' career hits' record, both Wilson and Silva had two hits in today's game. Both could surpass Jack Walker and his 235 hits by next weekend as Wilson is now at 234 and Silva at 233.

The Cougars (29-10) will now head to Mequon, WI later this week for play in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference tournament. Once again entering as the top seed, the Cougars will play their first game at 7:00 Thursday night against a team that will not be determined until the results of Thursday's first two games ae in. Concordia-Chicago will be looking to win its sixth consecutive NACC tournament and the automatic bid to the NCAA III Regionals that accompanies the tournament title.