Baseball sets program wins mark with shutout of Lawrence

MEQUON, Wis. – The 2017 Concordia University Wisconsin Baseball team is the winningest in program history. The Falcons recorded a school-record 26th victory on Thursday, a 9-0 win over Lawrence at Kapco Park. Seth Cox and Eric Dubek combined on a shutout for the Falcons in the non-conference win.

THE BASICS
- Final Score: CUW 9, Lawrence 0
- Location: Kapco Park – Mequon, Wisconsin
- Records: CUW 26-9; Lawrence 5-25-1

RANIERI AND DUBEK POSTGAME

HOW IT HAPPENED
- After a scoreless first, the Falcons scored six times in the second to break the game open early. Nathan Thyssen (Appleton, Wis.) put CUW on the board with a RBI single, scoring Kyle Hilliard (Oak Forest, Ill.). Kyle Washburn (Pleasant Prairie, Wis.) and Dan Ranieri (Loves Park, Ill.) added RBI singles in the frame, while Bryan Thomas (Lowell, Ind.) roped a RBI double.

- The Falcons were aggressive on the bases in the second, executing three doubles steals and swiping a total of seven bags in the frame. CUW finished the game with 10 stolen bases, the first time the Falcons have recorded double-digit steals in a game since April 13, 2013, against Maranatha Baptist.

- CUW added three in the sixth inning for the 9-0 victory. Ranieri doubled in Washburn to start the scoring in the sixth while the Falcons again executed a double steal for the second run. Thomas added a RBI groundout to complete the CUW scoring.

- Seth Cox (Gilbert, Ariz.) continued to impress on the mound, delivering seven shutout frames. Cox allowed just four hits and struck out four to pick up his second win of the season. He has thrown 16.2 shutout innings over his last five appearances.

- Eric Dubek (Lockport, Ill.) came on for the final two innings to complete the shutout. He allowed just one hit in working the final six outs.

- Thomas paced the offense with two doubles as the Falcons finished with five for the game. Ranieri, who was 2-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBIs, added a double as did Washburn and Drew Barth (Pewaukee, Wis.). Isaac Tewes (Chaska, Minn.) collected two hits for the Falcons along with Washburn, who scored two runs as well. Matt Luft (Oshkosh, Wis.) also crossed home safely twice.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- The Falcons surpass the 2015 team (25) for most wins in a season. CUW has also won 23 or more games in each of the past four seasons. This current senior class, who played its final regular season home game on Thursday, has won 97 games over the past four years.

UP NEXT
- The Falcons will close the regular season Saturday with a NACC doubleheader at Edgewood. CUW is still alive for the NACC Regular Season title as they trail Concordia Chicago by a game. First pitch at Edgewood is set for noon.