No. 17 Softball Crushes Concordia Chicago

RIVER FOREST, Ill. – The 17^th-ranked Falcons used two big first innings to cruise past Concordia Chicago on Saturday. The Falcons clocked the Cougars with an 11-0 victory in five innings in game two and completed the sweep with a 7-2 victory in game two. CUW improves to 25-3 on the year and to 13-2 in the NACC.

The Falcons exploded for nine runs in the first inning.

Junior Claudia Utz (Lockport, Ill.) started the run with a sacrifice fly that scored freshman Jess Pozezinski (Lake Villa, Ill.).

Senior Taylor Kuske (Kaukauna, Wis.) clipped the ball to left field on a single that scored junior Sydney Erdmann (Geneva, Ill.).

A wild pitch sent senior Kelsey Bollon (Orangeville, Ill.) scurrying across home plate.

Junior Ashley Zappa (Zion, Ill.) ripped the ball to left field on a double and scored Taylor Kuske.

Junior Gabbi Gaziano (Beloit, Wis.) doubled into left field and put Zappa safely into the dugout.

A single from Sydney Erdmann plated Gaziano.

Kelsey Bollon put the ball into right field that sent home Jess Pozezinski and sophomore Madison Wheat (Coweta, Okla.).

Sydney Erdmann finished the first inning scoring with a delayed steal that put her across home plate.

Jess Pozezinski had a single in the second inning that closed the scoring in game one that scored Ashley Zappa and freshman Amber Behr (Oak Creek, Wis.).

Senior Gina Followell (Romeoville, Ill.) caged the Cougars on Saturday with eight strikeouts and only two hits against.

Freshman Jasmine Freeze (Bolingbrook, Ill.) kept the Cougars' bats cold with a strikeout in the fifth inning in the circle.

Sydney Erdmann and Jess Pozezinski both stole a base in game one. Pozezinski also led the birds with three hits in the victory.

Claudia Utz showed why she is one of the best two-way catchers in the game when she blasted a no-doubt three-run home run to center field that scored Kelsey Bollon and Sydney Erdmann.

The Cougars had runners on the corners in the second inning but senior Nicki Becker (Brodhead, Wis.) ended the threat with a strikeout.

Utz struck again in the third inning when she took a ball to the lower body with the bases loaded that allowed Jess Pozezinski to safely cross home plate in the third inning.

Taylor Kuske then singled up the middle of the infield that added Kelsey Bollon and Sydney Erdmann onto the scoreboard.

The Cougars finally made it onto the scoreboard in the fourth inning with a home run. They added another run in the fifth inning as well.

Kelsey Bollon stopped the skid when she sent the ball bouncing through the right side of the infield that scored Wheat.

Nicki Becker earned her 12^th victory of the year with four strikeouts in five innings. Gina Followell closed the door on the cats with two strikeouts and no hits against in the final two innings.

Sydney Erdmann led the game with three of the 11 CUW hits.

CUW looks to stay hot on Sunday when they host the Green Knights of St. Norbert.