Baseball drops two against Benedictine

MEQUON, Wis. – The Concordia University Wisconsin Baseball Team dropped a pair of NACC games Sunday against Benedictine University. The Falcons were edged, 5-4, in the opener before falling by a 4-2 score in game two.

THE BASICS
- Final Scores: Benedictine 5, Concordia Wisconsin 4 (Game 1); Benedictine 4, Concordia Wisconsin 2 (Game 2)
- Location: Kapco Park – Mequon, Wis.
- Records: Benedictine 15-13, 9-7 NACC; Concordia Wisconsin 15-15, 8-6

GAME ONE HIGHLIGHTS
- CUW fell behind 4-0 after a long first inning, which included an 11-minute rain delay. Benedictine put up two runs before the delay and two unearned runs after the delay in the first. The Eagles would add a run in the fourth for a 5-0 lead.

- The Falcons would start to chip away, scoring twice in the bottom half of the fourth. Sophomore Kyle Hilliard (Oak Forest, Ill.) had an RBI single, while junior Isaac Tewes (Chaska, Minn.) drove in a run as well.

- Hilliard added another run-scoring single in the eighth and senior Nate Van Ells (Greendale, Wis.) drove in a run with an RBI single, cutting the Benedictine lead to one. The Falcons had the go-ahead run on second base with just one out in the eighth, but Eagles reliever Will Diessner got two flyouts to keep his team in front.

- Hilliard finished the game 2-for-4, while Van Ells and sophomore Nathan Thyssen (Kimberly, Wis.) added two hits each. The Falcons outhit Benedictine (9-6) in the opener.

- Junior Andrew Heideman (Bakersfield, Calif.) pitched well for CUW in seven innings. He struck out six, while giving up five runs, just three earned. Ivan Guzman threw 7.1 innings for Benedictine to get the win.

GAME TWO HIGHLIGHTS
- The Falcons built a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second when Hilliard drove in junior Bryan Thomas (Lowell, Ind.) with a sacrifice fly. Benedictine would respond quickly, scoring three runs in the top of the third, two of those unearned.

- CUW made four errors in game two, adding to the five in the opener for a total of nine on the day.

- The Falcons cut the Benedictine lead to 3-2 with a run in the fourth when Thomas drove in junior Mitchell Dubnicka (Hartland, Wis.) with an RBI single.

- Senior Andrew Mueller (Horicon, Wis.) took the loss for CUW, despite allowing just two earned in 8.1 innings. He struck out three, while giving up just four hits. Kamren Ackerman got the win for the Eagles with 7.2 strong innings, while Diessner picked up another save in game two.

- CUW got doubles from Thyssen, Dubnicka, and Thomas in the nightcap. Sophomore Dan Ranieri (Loves Park, Ill.) and Thomas finished the game with two hits.

UP NEXT
- The Falcons will visit St. Norbert for a non-conference game Wednesday. First pitch is set for 4 p.m.