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Box Score 2 MILWAUKEE - The Wisconsin Lutheran College baseball team swept Northern Athletics Conference-leading Concordia University Chicago on Monday afternoon at Neumann Family Field. The Warriors came from behind to win both games, 5-3 and 4-3, over the Cougars, who are receiving votes in multiple national Top 25 polls.
Concordia took command early as it scored three runs in the first inning of the opener on four hits from the top of its lineup.
WLC responded with two runs in the third inning. Junior Garrick Day (Elk Mound./Elk Mound) crossed home on a wild pitch and sophomore Aaron Roeseler (Watertown, Wis./Luther Preparatory) scored from third off Brett Youngbeck's (Brown Deer, Wis./Brown Deer) sacrifice fly. The scoring continued for the Warriors as they grabbed single runs in the seventh and eighth for the 5-3 lead. The score stood and the Warriors won the opener by the two-run margin.
Day, sophomore Brandon Mantz (West Bend, Wis./Kettle Moraine Lutheran) and freshmanMitch Skarban (Appleton, Wis./Fox Valley Lutheran) each had two hits for the Warriors in game one.
Freshman Josh Ruppel (Belgium, Wis./Cedar Grove-Belgium), who held the Cougars hitless from the third through seventh inning, went the distance in game one to record his third win of the season. Ruppel tossed his second straight complete game, scattering eight hits while fanning four.
Louis Foss suffered his first loss of the season for Concordia Chicago, allowing two earned runs on six hits in 2.1 innings of relief work.
Game two started off similar to game one for the Warriors as they fell behind early by a score of 2-0 after four innings of play.
WLC finally reached the scoring column in the fifth. After Tyler Schoen (Marion, Wis./Marion) drew a lead-off walk, Skarban stepped to the plate and delivered an RBI double down the right field line. Skarban scored from third later that same inning on an RBI single to left from sophomore Connor Vredeveld (Waterloo, Wis./Lakeside Lutheran).
The Warriors grabbed the lead in the sixth when Schoen singled to right field to guide Sam Mattheis Rosendale, Wis./Laconia) home from third.
CUC tied the game in the ninth with a run on one hit. With two on and one out in the bottom of the ninth, Youngbeck delivered a walk-off RBI single deep to center on the first pitch he saw from CUC pitcher Steve Cox, sending Roeseler home from second to win the game.
Roeseler and Youngbeck each had three hits in the game for WLC offensively. Day (3-1) recorded the win on the mound for the Warriors as he pitched all 9.0 innings, giving up three runs on eight hits. He also added three strike outs.
Kevin Pawell (1-2) took the loss on the mound for Concordia Chicago (22-5, 12-4 NAC) after giving up one run on four hits in 2.2 innings of work.
Wisconsin Lutheran (13-10, 7-7 NAC) is next scheduled to face Edgewood College (10-16, 8-4 NAC) on Wednesday in its fourth attempt at the doubleheader. First pitch of game one of the suspended twinbill is slated for 3 p.m. at Stampfl Field in Verona, Wis. The game will resume with the Warriors ahead 2-0 in the middle of the first inning. Edgewood will provide both live stats and live video for both games and the links can be found at www.wlcsports.com.
