Falcons Clinch Tournament Berth Against Cougars on Senior Day
Game 1
Game 1
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Concordia Chicago | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 0 |
|
Concordia Wisconsin | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 16 | 1 |
Game 2
Game 2
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Concordia Chicago | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 14 | 15 | 1 |
|
Concordia Wisconsin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 3 |
MEQUON, Wis. - The Concordia Wisconsin baseball team clinched its first NACC Tournament berth since 2021 on Thursday by way of a walk-off victory over the Concordia Chicago Cougars. The Senior Day contest saw the team fight off a comeback and emerge victorious by way of freshman Connor Lasch's (Chicago, Ill.) single in the seventh inning.
The Falcons got an early start on scoring, taking a quick 2-0 advantage. Senior Cole Aguirre (Chino Hills, Calif.) notched an RBI double in the first inning, sending junior Brynden Cleveland (Crestwood, Ill.) across the plate. The play expanded upon his team-lead, marking his 33rd RBI of the 2024 campaign. Cleveland batted in the second run of the day, as a sacrifice fly doubled Concordia Wisconsin's lead in the following inning.
The Cougars entered the scoresheet in the third inning to cut the deficit in half, but the Falcons took two steps forward with runs in the fifth inning of play. Sophomore Matt Miller (Fredonia, Wis.) brought the lead back to two runs with a sacrifice fly before junior Kyle Flynn (Nashville, Tenn.) sent his second home run of the season over the left field fence. Senior Jimmy Juergensen (Cedarburg, Wis.) crossed the plate along with Flynn on the blast, which left the Falcons with a 5-1 advantage.
Concordia Chicago drew within striking distance in the sixth inning, as a pair of sacrifice flies brought the score to 5-4 in the Falcons' favor. A home run from Michael Kaskik in the top half of the following inning brought the score to even, squaring the two squads at five runs each.
To kick off the bottom half of the inning, Miller sent a ground ball up the middle to reach base with two strikes. On the first pitch of the ensuing at-bat, Flynn placed a perfect bunt down the first base line, reaching base while moving Miller into scoring position. A fielder's choice to follow left the Falcons with runners on the corners, and after seeing a strike on the opening pitch of the next at-bat, Lasch sent a line drive to left field, bringing Miller across the plate to vault Concordia Wisconsin into the NACC Tournament.
Sophomore Nikolai Nawracaj (New Lenox, Ill.) earned his first career win in the outing, tossing 1.1 innings.
The second contest of the day was played to Concordia Chicago's tune, as the Cougars seized a 14-2 victory. Freshman Hayden Reich (Sussex, Wis.) took responsibility for the squad's lone RBIs of the contest, sending sophomores Anthony Buono (Streamwood, Ill.) and Isaac Schmidt (Waukesha, Wis.) across the plate in the sixth inning.
With their conference tournament berth secured, the Falcons will battle the 20-19 Edgewood Eagles to begin the postseason on May 8. The contest will serve as a revenge opportunity for Concordia, as Edgewood emerged victorious in the teams' last meeting in early April.
