Baseball sweeps Wisconsin Lutheran in home opener

Baseball sweeps Wisconsin Lutheran in home opener

Box Score (Game 1): CUW 8, WLC 3
Box Score (Game 2): CUW 7, WLC 2

Audio: Listen to a replay of game one
Audio: Listen to a replay of game two

Video: Post-game interview

Photos: Album from the doubleheader

MEQUON, Wis. - Playing on its brand new multi-million dollar turf field for the first time, Concordia University Wisconsin received strong performances from several hitters and starting pitchers to sweep Wisconsin Lutheran College on Sunday afternoon. The Falcons defeated the Warriors, 8-3 in the opener and 7-2 in the nightcap of the Northern Athletics Conference twin bill.

Daniel Mueller led CUW with six of the team's 27 hits and Austin Baglow struck out 10 in the second game of the day. The Falcons earned their first doubleheader sweep of the season and swept WLC for the eight-straight season in conference play.

Mueller finished the day 6-for-8, to go along with seven total bases, two RBI and two runs scored. David Enters recorded five hits and scored three times, while sophomore Harry Steldt (West Bend, Wis.) hit four singles. Adam Martz also drove in four runs and Austin Sarauer scored three times.

The Falcons finished with 15 RBI and 31 total bases. They also reached base 12 times on walks.

On the mound, CUW received strong performances from Baglow and Andrew Mueller. Both starters were effective as they threw over 100 pitches and struck out a combined 13 batters, while allowing five runs - three earned.

Game One Recap:

CUW (5-8, 3-1 NAC) plated five runs in the bottom of the third inning to take control of the game and answered WLC's two runs in the fifth with two of its own in the sixth frame.

The Warriors had trouble throughout Mueller's (sophomore, Horicon, Wis.) complete game performance. The right-hander fanned three batters to earn his first win of the year, a complete game effort.

CUW used five hits in the third to score its five runs. Following a one-out sacrifice fly by Martz (senior, West Bend, Wis.) to score Mueller - for the first-ever run at Kapco Park - the Falcons hit a pair of singles and walked once to load the bases. The frame was highlighted by a Beau Burgert (sophomore, Oshkosh, Wis.) bases-clearing double down the left field line.

WLC tallied a pair of runs in the fifth after Connor Vredeveld and Cody Nevils each hit a RBI ground and sacrifice fly, respectively.

Following two singles and a walk, Martz hit a sacrifice fly that plated Enters (senior, Milwaukee, Wis.). Two batters later, and after a WLC pitching change, sophomore Mathew Scasny (Pewaukee, Wis.) hit into a fielder's choice that scored Mueller (junior, West Bend, Wis.).

CUW and WLC traded runs in the seventh, but it was Mueller's five 1-2-3 innings on the mound that were the difference.

Game Two Recap:

The Falcons earned their fourth come-from-behind victory of the season by scoring two runs in the third and four in the seventh inning. CUW again received a strong outing by its starting pitcher, as Baglow (sophomore, Walled Lake, Mich.) tossed 10 strikeouts in eight innings of work.

At the plate, Martz continued to swing a hot bat with a 3-for-5 performance, to go along with two RBI. Senior Nick Doedens (Germantown, Wis.) drove in two runs and Enters scored a pair of the Falcons.

WLC (3-15, 1-3 NAC) recorded a pair of hits to lead off the second inning and advanced both runners on a passed ball. Sam Mattheis, playing head-up baseball, ran home for a run on a strikeout-throw out situation.

CUW did a little bit of everything in the third inning and Scasny capped the frame with a sacrifice fly that scored senior Austin Sarauer (Campbellsport, Wis.) to give the Falcons a 2-1 lead.

The Warriors tied the game at 2-2 off a Tyler Schoen RBI single through the right side.

As they have done in several innings this season, CUW answered with four runs in the seventh to take control of the ballgame. The Falcons scored back-to-back runs on Sarauer's double and a Martz single. Doedens ended the scoring in the inning with a two-RBI single to right field, giving CUW a 6-1 lead.

Mueller pushed freshman Matt Schroeder (Mequon, Wis.) across the plate in the eighth for the final run of the game on a single up the middle.

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CUW returns to Kapco Park for a single non-conference game on Thursday against St. Norbert College. The first pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.