Baseball finishes season with runner-up finish at NACC Tournament

MEQUON, Wis. – A strong run in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Baseball Tournament came to an end for the Concordia University Wisconsin Baseball team Saturday as the Falcons finished the 2014 season with a league runner-up finish. CUW began the day with a 7-5 win over Dominican University before falling in the championship game , 8-2, against top-seeded and No. 4 nationally ranked Concordia University Chicago.

The runner-up finish marked the Falcons best finish in the eight-year history of the league. CUW had been 0-6 in its previous six tournament appearances but ended this year's tournament with a 3-2 record and wins over Edgewood, Benedictine and Dominican.

The Cougars proved they were the top team in the NACC with a 4-0 performance, capturing the league's automatic big to the NCAA Division III Tournament for the second straight year. CUC had a five-run first to put the Falcons in an early hole in the championship game.

Sophomore Jordan Mathiebe (Brillion, Wis.) powered the Falcons to a win over the Stars to begin the day as he finished with a career-high four RBIs. Mathiebe finished the game 2-for-4 with a triple in the fourth and a two-RBI single in the second.

The Falcons built a 5-3 lead against DU with a three-run fourth inning, highlighted by Mathiebe's triple. Freshman Tyler Crass (Glendale, Wis.) followed that with an RBI single, while junior Brandon Seifert (Germantown, Wis.) added an RBI single in the frame.

DU (23-18) would cut the lead to 5-4 in the top of the fifth but the Falcons answered right back with a two-run fifth to extend their lead to 7-4. Mathiebe drove in junior Joel Sharon (Glendale, Wis.) with an RBI groundout and freshman Matt Schubert (West Bend, Wis.) would later score on a double steal for the three-run lead.

Sophomore Tyler Gross (Wauwatosa, Wis.) picked up his sixth win of the season for CUW, pitching five innings and allowing two earned. Gross had one strikeout in his five innings before junior Tyler Adams (Jackson, Wis.) came on for a four-inning save, his second save of the season. Adams gave up just one run in his four innings.

Schubert and Mathiebe each tallied two hits to pace the Falcons in the opening win. Senior Beau Burgert (Oshkosh, Wis.) was the Falcons top offensive player in the championship contest, finishing 3-for-4 with an RBI single in the eighth inning.

Senior Austin Baglow (Walled Lake, Mich.) pitched seven strong relief innings for the Falcons in the title game against CUC, allowing just two earned runs and striking out four. The only Cougar who seemed to figure Baglow out was Dan Lo Dolce as he hit a pair of solo home runs. Adams started the game for the Falcons and pitched one inning.

Cody Caballero threw eight innings for the Cougars to pick up the win, striking out six and allowing two earned. Steve Cox recorded the final three outs for CUC.

The Falcons first year under head coach Eddy Morgan concludes with a 23-19 record. CUW had a 12-game winning streak at one point during the season, as well as its highest finish in the NACC Tournament.