Softball pushes winning streak to 12 with NACC sweep over Marian

MEQUON, Wis. – They were challenged, specifically in game two of a NACC doubleheader against Marian University Saturday, but the Concordia University Wisconsin Softball team ran its winning streak to 12 with a doubleheader sweep over the Sabres. The Falcons took the opener 14-5, before winning in the bottom of the seventh by a 5-4 score in the second contest.

Sophomore Nicole Bublitz (Brown Deer, Wis.) hit a fly ball just deep enough in right field to score freshman Andrea Thiry (Green Bay, Wis.), who hit a one-out triple in the inning, giving CUW the 5-4 game two win.

The second game saw the Falcons fall behind 4-0 after the fourth inning, but they would answer with a four-run fifth to tie the game. Junior Melissa Perkins (Park Forest, Ill.), a player more known for her pitching usually, had the big hit of the inning, a two-RBI single to rightcenter. A pair of freshmen, Sadie Strasser (Gladstone, Mich.) and Haley Spoerl (Salem, Wis.) would add RBI in the inning, making the score 4-4.

Perkins also threw 1.1 scoreless innings of relief in the second game, after throwing a complete game in the opener. She would not factor into the decision, but did pitch an important part of the game, keeping the Falcons within reach. Freshman Christine Sharon (Cornell, Mich.) would get the win, throwing two innings of scoreless relief.

The Falcons were outhit in game two by a 13-7 count but made the most of their opportunities. CUW showcased its depth in the game by playing most of its roster. Thiry, who had the big triple in the seventh, was a replacement midway through the game, and finished 1-for-1 with two runs scored.

The opener was all Falcons as they belted out 12 hits and scored 14 times in a nine-run win that ended in the sixth inning due to the eight-run rule. Freshman Jamie Reiser (Ingleside, Ill.) and Bublitz each homered in the game, Reiser's coming as a walkoff in the bottom of the sixth.

Reiser drove in four runs in the opener, while Thiry and Bublitz were outstanding from the eight and nine spots in the batting order, each driving in three runs. Sophomore Carly Sobrilsky (Brookfield, Wis.) finished with a pair of doubles for the Falcons, while Strasser paced the offense with three hits.

The Falcons jumped on the Sabres for four runs in the bottom of first as Reiser started the party with an RBI single. Sobrilsky would then double in a run, while Thiry capped off the four-run first with a two-RBI single.

CUW would add one run in the second and then would plate three runs each in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings for the nine-run game one victory. Marian scored its runs in the top of the second (two runs) and fifth (three), but couldn't keep the Falcons off the board in the opener.

Perkins picked up her ninth win of the season in the opener, throwing all six innings. She struck out five batters and allowed just three earned runs in the win. Her counterpart, Emily Gorges, fell victim to some shaky Marian defense as she gave up 14 runs, eight of those unearned.

The Falcons (19-7, 10-0 NACC) will return to action tomorrow when they take on fellow NACC-unbeaten Aurora University in a road doubleheader. The Spartans are the two-time NACC regular season champions and enter with a 12-0 league record. First pitch from Aurora will be at 12 p.m.