Concordia Sweeps Rockford

MEQUON, Wis. – The Falcons picked up two conference wins on Monday, April 10th, after beating the Regents of Rockford University, 5-2 and 7-5 at Kapco Park.

In the first game of the doubleheader, the Falcons scored the first run in the bottom of the third inning. Senior Dillan Fike (Oak Lawn, Ill.) reached on base after being walked, and fellow senior Cole Aguirre (Chino Hills, Calif.) reached on base after being hit by a pitch. With runners on first and second base, senior Johannes Haakenson hit a deep fly ball to third, advancing Fike to third base. 

Dillan Fike reached home and scored the game's first run after a wild pitch from Rockford, while Cole Aguirre advanced to second base. Then, senior Daniel Hahn (Cudahy, Wis.) hit an RBI single, scoring Aguirre from second base. 

Following the bottom of the third, the Falcons led 2-0. 

The Falcons extended their lead in the fifth inning. Sophomore Josh Aguiniga (Chicago, Ill.) led off the inning with a single through the left side. In the next at-bat, Dillan Fike was hit by a pitch. Cole Aguirrre then grounded out to short, advancing Aguniga to third and Fike to second. Senior Johannes Haakenson knocked in both baserunners with a 2-RBI double down the left field line, giving the Falcons a 4-0 lead heading into the top of the sixth inning. 

After being held scoreless for the first five innings, the Regents were able to cut the Falcon's lead in the top of the sixth inning following a pair of singles, a CUW wild pitch, and an RBI single.  

Heading into the top of the bottom of the sixth inning, Concordia held a 4-2 lead. 

Concordia Wisconsin was able to scratch another run in the bottom of the seventh when Johannes Haakenson scored on a passed ball after singling earlier in the inning. 

Heading into the top of the eighth inning, the Falcons led 5-2. 

The Falcons were able to keep the Regents scoreless in the eighth and ninth inning, giving them the 5-2 win. With the victory, head coach Eddy Morgan earned his 200th career win at Concordia Wisconsin. 

In part one of the doubleheader, senior pitcher Ryan Green (Green Bay, Wis.) had an impressive outing pitching seven complete innings, only allowing one earned run and four hits while striking out a career-high 11 batters. With the win, his record on the season improves to 2-1. Meanwhile, sophomore Owen Burns (Morris, Ill.) pitched two complete innings, allowing zero runs and earning his first career save.

On the offensive end, Johannes Haakenson, Daniel Hahn, and Josh Aguiniga both had two hits, while Haakenson led the Falcons with 2-RBIs. 

In part two of the doubleheader, the Falcons struck first in the bottom of the second inning. Freshman Matt Miller (Fredonia, Wis.) reached first base following a throwing error from Rockford. In the next at-bat, Josh Aguiniga hit his first career home run, giving the Falcons the 2-0 lead. 

CUW extended their lead in the bottom of the third inning. Johannes Haakenson singled to left field and advanced to second after a throwing error from the Regents. Haakenson moved to third base on a wild pitch and eventually reached home after a balk from the Rockford pitcher, giving the Falcons a 3-0 lead heading into the top of the fourth. 

Rockford was able to respond and tie the game 3-3 in the top of the fifth inning, with three runs of their own following an RBI single, a fielder's choice RBI and a double play that scored another run. 

In the bottom of the sixth inning, the Falcons were able to retake the lead. Junior Jimmy Juergensen (Cedarburg, Wis.) led off the inning and reached base following a Rockford error. In the next at-bat sophomore Kyle Flynn (Nashville, Tenn.) also reached base on an error while Jimmy Juergensen advanced to third base. 

Then, Matt Miller singled to the left side, bringing home Juergensen and moving Flynn to third base. Flynn and Miller scored later in the inning after a pair of wild pitches, helping the Falcons hold on to a 6-3 lead following the bottom of the sixth inning. 

The Regents were cut into the Falcon lead in both the seventh and sixth inning, earning one run in each inning, cutting the Falcon's lead to 6-5 heading into the top of bottom of the eighth inning. 

CUW tallied on another run in the bottom of the eighth inning when Johannes Haakenson hit an RBI double, scoring Josh Aguiniga, who was hit by a pitch earlier in the inning. 

The Falcons were able to hold the Regents scoreless in the ninth inning, earning them the 7-5 victory. 

In that contest, freshman starting pitcher Tyler Bartczak (Crestwood, Ill.) pitched four complete innings, giving up zero earned runs and striking out five Regent batters. Meanwhile, senior pitcher Beau Wills (Coal City, Ill.) earned his second win of the season, improving his record to 2-0 on the year, while junior Connor Krauseneck (Saginaw, Mich) earned his second save of the season after pitching one complete inning and giving up zero earned runs. 

Also, on the defensive end, the Falcons were able to turn four double plays.

On the offensive end, Johannes Haakenson, Matt Miller, and Josh Aguiniga all had two hits, while Aguiniga had a team-leading two RBIs. 

Following this doubleheader, the Falcons move to 5-3 in NACC play, while their overall record moves to 13-9. 

CUW will continue home conference action on Saturday, April 15th, when they will host Dominican in a doubleheader.