Baseball Drops Two to Top-Ranked Concordia-Chicago

April 9, 2019Posted in: Athletics

CHICAGO—This past Sunday the Illinois Tech baseball team hosted the top-ranked team in the American Baseball Coaches Association poll: the Cougars of Concordia-Chicago. In the team’s toughest test of the season, the Scarlet Hawks (7-13, 3-5) dropped both Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) contests to the Cougars (19-1, 8-0), falling 14-4 and 17-6.

Runs-Hits-Errors: Game One

  • CUC: 14 runs, 15 hits, 1 error
  • Tech: 4 runs, 5 hits, 3 errors

How it Happened: Game One

  • The Cougars blitzed the Scarlet Hawks from the jump, scoring 13 times over the first three innings.
  • In the bottom of the fourth, Tech was able to find some offense. A Patrick Day RBI single drove in Brandon Bennitt before an error allowed John Politis to score on the same play.
  • After the Cougars added another run in the top of the seventh, Matt Witkowski clubbed a double over the center fielder’s head to bring Brandon Holifield and Matthew McMullen around to score. However, the 10-run advantage stood after seven innings to end the contest.

Scarlet Hawk Standouts: Game One

  • Witkowski hit one of just two extra-base hits for the Scarlet Hawks in the game, driving in two runs in the seventh.
  • Alex Riehman threw the final five innings in relief and allowed just three earned runs.

Runs-Hits-Errors: Game Two

  • CUC: 17 runs, 20 hits, 1 error
  • Tech: 6 runs, 14 hits, 4 errors

How It Happened: Game Two

  • After the Cougars plated two runs in the top of the second, Jacob Sorenson singled up the middle to drive home Bennitt in the bottom half of the inning to cut CUC’s lead in half.
  • Over the next three innings, the Cougars extended the lead to 8-1 behind two home runs.
  • The Scarlet Hawks would respond, scoring five times in the next two innings to pull to within two at 8-6. In the fifth, Zachary Dickey hit his fourth home run of the season to drive in himself and Orlando Cardenas-Juan. This preceded a three-run sixth inning that featured RBI doubles from Ted Howell and Michael Courtney. In addition, Cardenas-Juan knocked in a run in the frame on an RBI single.
  • However, Concordia would not be denied, using the home run to propel them the rest of the way. The Cougars would hit four more dingers in the game as the lead reached 11 in the ninth inning.

Scarlet Hawk Standouts: Game Two

  • Dickey was 3-for-5 with a home run, two RBI, and a run scored.
  • After pinch-hitting late in the contest, Courtney was 2-for-2 with a double and an RBI.
  • Cardenas-Juan (2-for-5, double, RBI, run), Nick Bledsoe (2-for-5), Bennitt (2-for-5, two runs, double, stolen base), and Howell (2-for-4, double, run, RBI) all had multi-hit games as well.

Up Next

  • The Scarlet Hawks will host two non-conference, seven-inning contests on Tuesday afternoon against Maranatha Baptist University at Ed Glancy Field at 1 p.m. Live audio, video, and stats will be available, with the live audio powered by Illinois Media School.
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