RIVER FOREST, Ill. (WLCSports.com) – Concordia Chicago rallied for four runs in the sixth inning of game one and took an early lead in game two to sweep a Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference doubleheader from Wisconsin Lutheran College by scores of 5-4 and 2-0 on Saturday at CUC Softball Field.
Game 1: Concordia Chicago 5, Wisconsin Lutheran 4
The Warriors (15-17, 7-9 NACC) struck first in the opening inning when sophomore
Kylie Gaston (Albertville, Minn.) launched a two-run homerun, scoring sophomore
Maritza Martinez (Kenosha, Wis.) for a 2-0 advantage. WLC added another run in the third as junior
Madison Heller (South Milwaukee, Wis.) came home during a rundown on the bases, extending the lead to 3-0.
The Cougars (14-18, 9-11 NACC) got on the board in the fourth on a solo homerun, but Wisconsin Lutheran answered in the sixth when junior
Sommer Krull (New London, Wis.) homered to leadoff the inning pushing the lead back to 4-1.
CUC mounted the decisive rally in the bottom of the sixth, capitalizing on two Warriors errors. An RBI single, sacrifice fly, and two-run single put Concordia Chicago in front 5-4. All four runs in the inning were unearned.
Krull led WLC at the plate, finishing 2-for-3 with a homerun and a run scored. Gaston also drove in two runs with her first-inning homer, while Heller, junior
Julianna Alloy (Harrison Township, Mich.), and freshman
Rebecca Reddeman (Canton, Mich.) each added a hit.
Linley Southern paced the Cougars offensively, going 3-for-4 with two RBIs, while Alyssa Campos was 2-for-3 with a homerun and two runs scored. Eden Pufahl earned the win in relief, tossing two scoreless innings. She allowed one hit and did not walk a batter.
Game 2: Concordia Chicago 2, Wisconsin Lutheran 0
CUC wasted little time getting on the board with a one-out solo homerun in the bottom of the first for a 1-0 advantage. Concordia Chicago added an insurance run in the third on an RBI single.
Wisconsin Lutheran threatened in several innings but was unable to break through. The Warriors put runners in scoring position in the first, second, fourth, and sixth innings, including a sixth-inning chance with runners on second and third with one out, but the Cougars escaped the jam to preserve the shutout.
Freshman
Katelyn Ruth (Canton, Mich.) paced WLC at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles. Freshman
Addyson Wheeler (Freeport, Ill.) finished 1-for-3 with a double, while Krull and freshman
Peyton Crutcher (Ashwaubenon, Wis.) each added a hit, with Crutcher also recording a double. Sophomore
Alyssa Dinnauer (Dousman, Wis.) turned in a solid complete-game effort, allowing two runs on seven hits over six innings. She walked one and struck out three in the loss.
Southern led CUC offensively, finishing 2-for-3 with a homerun, two runs scored, and an RBI, while McKyler Morris also collected two hits. Morgan Houfek earned the win after tossing two scoreless innings in relief. She allowed one hit and did not issue a walk. Alyssa Lopez tossed the final two innings for the save.
Wisconsin Lutheran travels to Fond du Lac tomorrow for its final NACC regular season road doubleheader against Marian (14-16, 11-7 NACC) starting at Noon. Live coverage links can be found at WLCSports.com.
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