Baseball bats stay hot in sweep over Rockford

ROCKFORD, Ill. – The Concordia University Wisconsin Baseball team continued to swing the bats well in a doubleheader sweep over Rockford Monday afternoon. For the fourth time in the last five games, the Falcons scored 10 or more runs, accomplishing the feat in each contest for wins of 11-5 and 13-2.

THE BASICS
- Final Scores: CUW 11, Rockford 5 (Game One); CUW 13, Rockford 2 (F/8 – Game Two)
- Location: Rivets Stadium – Rockford, Illinois
- Records: CUW 15-8, 7-3 NACC; Rockford 12-15, 4-8 NACC

CUW 11, ROCKFORD 5 (GAME ONE)
- The Falcons pounded out 16 hits in the opener and recorded three big innings en route to the 11-5 win. CUW built an 11-0 leader after six-and-a-half innings of play before the Regents scored five runs in their final three at-bats.

- The top of the Falcons lineup continued to produce in the opener, each of the first four batters collecting multiple hits. Matt Luft (Oshkosh, Wis.) and Matt Schubert (West Bend, Wis.) each tallied three hits and scored three runs, while Bryan Thomas (Lowell, Ind.) drove in four runs and recorded a pair of hits. Leadoff man Dan Ranieri (Loves Park, Ill.) added two hits as well for CUW.

- Nathan Thyssen (Appleton, Wis.) added three hits for the Falcons, one of those a double. Justin Barney (Kenosha, Wis.) belted a solo home run in the fifth inning. Schubert was a home run away from the cycle, while Luft, Thomas, Isaac Tewes (Chaska, Minn.), and Kyle Washburn (Pleasant Prairie, Wis.) all doubled in the win.

- Matthew Olig (Plymouth, Wis.) picked up his second win in as many starts by throwing six quality innings. Olig scattered five hits and allowed two earned with one strikeout. Seth Cox (Gilbert, Ariz.) earned his first career save by throwing the final three innings, allowing three runs, two earned.

CUW 13, ROCKFORD 2 (F/8 – GAME TWO)
- Thomas drove in four more runs and Schubert collected three hits, while also delivering seven strong innings on the mound to help the Falcons complete the sweep via the 10-run rule in game two.

- The Falcons jumped on Rockford with three runs in each of the first two innings and five more in the third for a 10-0 lead. Thomas drove in a run in each of the frames, including a two-RBI single in the second. Schubert, Luft, and Kyle Hilliard (Oak Forest, Ill.) all recorded RBI doubles to help build the big lead as Hilliard finished the game with three driven in.

- The one through four hitters continued to get the job done in game two, combining to score nine of the Falcons 13 runs. Schubert touched home three times, while Ranieri, Luft, and Thomas all scored twice, as did Washburn from the nine spot in the order.

- On the mound, Schubert was excellent in picking up his third win of the season. He allowed two earned in seven innings of work, scattering nine hits with a trio of strikeouts. Scott Plachinski (South Milwaukee, Wis.) came on for the final three outs, striking out one.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- The Falcons have posted 10 or more runs in eight games this season. CUW is 8-0 in games in which it reaches a double-digit run total.

UP NEXT
- CUW will have Tuesday off before visiting Ripon for a non-conference contest Wednesday. First pitch is set for 2 p.m.