Buuck pitches Baseball to NACC-opening split against league favorite CUC

MEQUON, Wis. – Freshman Carter Buuck still doesn't know what it feels like to allow a runner to cross home plate in a collegiate baseball game. Buuck delivered his third gem of the season for the Concordia University Wisconsin Baseball team, helping the Falcons to a split with NACC preseason favorite Concordia Chicago Saturday at Kapco Park. The Falcons fell 16-7 in game one before Buuck's masterpiece in game two, a 2-0 win.

Buuck (Hillsboro, Ore.) has now thrown 24 consecutive scoreless innings to begin his collegiate career. On Saturday he tamed the NACC favorite Cougars to three hits, including a perfect first six innings of the game. Buuck struck out 10 batters while not issuing a free pass. The only trouble he ran into was the top of the eighth where the Cougars had runners on second and third with two outs, but Buuck got Kevin Coppin to fly out to left to end the inning.

The Falcons got just enough offense for Buuck in the game two win as senior Kyle Hegeman (New Berlin, Wis.) singled in senior Joel Sharon (Milwaukee, Wis.) in their opening at bat. The lead would stay at 1-0 until the bottom of the eighth when sophomore Isaac Tewes (Chaska, Minn.) unleashed a solo home run, making the count 2-0 in favor of the home team.

That was all Buuck needed as he was dominant from the get go in his second win of the season. He needed just 99 pitches to carve through the Cougars lineup, 78 of those going for strikes.

The opening game was all about offense as the two teams combined for 33 hits, 18 of those coming for CUC. The Cougars scored six runs in the third and four more in the fourth to take a 10-3 lead after four complete. CUC would add two runs apiece in the sixth, seventh and ninth innings for the 16-7 win.

Freshman Nathan Thyssen (Kimberly, Wis.) was the positive for CUW in the opener as he went 4-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBI, while finishing a home run shy of the cycle. Thyssen's triple in the fifth inning was his seventh of the season, tying the CUW single season record in just 13 games. Brandon Seifert (Germantown, Wis.) added three hits in the opening game and was one of four Falcons, including Thyssen, to double.

Freshmen Justin Barney (Kenosha, Wis.) and Kyle Hilliard (Oak Forest, Ill.) added doubles for CUW in the opening game loss. Carlos Olavarria, the 2014 NACC Player of the Year, was the Cougars top hitter in the opener as he went 5-for-6 with a triple and four RBI. Thomas Gier and Doug Matthews each added three RBI for the Cougars.

CUW (7-7, 1-1 NACC) will return to the ball diamond tomorrow in a NACC doubleheader at Dominican University. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.