Baseball Splits Doubleheader With Lakeland

PLYMOUTH, Wis. – Thursday saw the CUW baseball team split in their second road NACC doubleheader of the season, as the Muskies took game one 8-7, while the Falcons bounced back in game two to lock up the convincing 12-4 win. 

With the split, CUW's record sits at 8-9 overall and 3-1 in conference play. 

The Muskies wasted no time in game one, scoring three quick runs in the bottom of the first to secure a 3-0 lead. 

But the top of the third saw CUW storm back to take the lead as freshman Ryan Le (Orland Park, Ill.) singled to lead off the inning. Concordia tacked on more baserunners as freshman Connor Lasch (Chicago, Ill.) drew a walk.

Senior Jack Owens laid down a bunt for a single to load the bases in the subsequent at-bat while senior Cole Aguirre (Chino Hills, Calif.) had a sac fly to score Le and give CUW their first run of the game. 

Junior Brynden Cleveland (Crestwood, Ill.) singled to centerfield, scoring two runs for the Blue and White.

The fourth and final runner for CUW came courtesy of sophomore Tyler Murray (Kankakee, Ill.), as he walked with bases loaded.

After the bottom of the third and fourth innings were scoreless, the score remained 4-3 in CUW's favor heading into the top of the fifth. 

After a Brynden Cleveland double to start the inning, senior Jimmy Juergensen (Cedarburg, Wis.) delivered with a ball driven deep to centerfield for a triple and RBI to extend CUW's lead to 5-3. 

But Lakeland would answer with a run in the bottom of the fifth, bringing the score to 5-4, CUW's advantage. 

The top of the sixth saw the Falcons add two runs to their lead on four hits, as Jack Owens led off with a double to right field. 

Later in the inning, with two outs, Brynden Cleveland showed off his speed as he singled to second base, scoring Owens, while sophomore Matt Miller (Fredonia, Wis.) tallied the second run with a single to centerfield, scoring Brynden Cleveland putting up CUW 7-4. 

But the bottom of the sixth spelled trouble for CUW, as the Muskies put together a solid inning and scored four runs to secure the 8-7 lead.

Despite their best efforts, the Falcons could not generate any scoring opportunities in the top of the seventh as Lakeland secured the game-one victory. 

In that first matchup, Brynden Cleveland had a fantastic day at the plate, having a career-high four hits on four at-bats, three RBIs, and a double.

Meanwhile, Jimmy Juergensen had two hits and one RBI, including a triple, while Jack Owens had a multi-hit day, including a double. 

From the mound, senior Tyler Drezek (West Allis, Wis.) pitched a team-high three complete innings, facing 15 batters and recording one strikeout.

But the Falcons responded swiftly in game two of the doubleheader. Concordia drew first blood with a single from senior Cody Maier (Mandan, N.D.), driving in Brynden Cleveland in the first inning. 

CUW would extend their lead in the top of the third inning, as Cole Aguirre and Brynden Cleveland led off the inning with a single and a double to bring up Jimmy Juergensen with runners in scoring position and no outs. 

Juergensen then put a ball in play to cross Aguirre past home plate, giving CUW the 2-0 lead. 

Later, sophomore Kyle Flynn (Nashville, Tenn.) poked a single to left field to score another Falcon and give CUW a 3-0 lead heading into the bottom of the third.

Determined to pick up two conference wins, Lakeland scored two runs in the bottom of the third inning to cut their deficit to just one, 3-2. 

But the Blue and White would take back one of those runs in the top of the fourth inning as Jack Owens scored on a wild pitch. 

After a 1-2-3 inning behind the pitching of sophomore JT Hockers (Middleton, Wis.) in the bottom of the fourth inning, the Falcons opened the game with five runs in the top of the fifth inning. 

With bases loaded, Jack Owens recorded an RBI after being hit by a pitch. Similarly, in the next at-bat, Cole Aguirre drew a walk. 

Again, with the bases loaded, Brynden Cleveland delivered a single to second field to score another run. 

Another wild pitch from Lakeland would score another Falcon, while Jimmy Juergensen singled through the right side to score the fifth and final run of the inning to put up CUW 9-4. 

Lakeland would respond with two runs in the bottom of the fifth. 

CUW completed the victory in the top of the seventh inning, adding three more runs to their total. Brynden Cleveland, Jimmy Juergensen, and Kyle Flynn all recorded RBIs, and Cleveland and Juergensen each had a single. 

Sophomore Tyler Bartczak (Crestwood, Ill.) closed out the game on the mound shutting down the Muskies offense going 1-2-3, with two looking strikeouts. 

In the win, Brynden Cleveland had another fantastic game, registering hits and two RBIs. Jimmy Juergensen and Kyle Flynn also had multi-hit and RBI games, as Juergensen totaled three hits, two RBIs, while Flynn contributed two hits and two RBIs. 

As a pitching staff, the Falcons struck out 19 batters, as JT Hockers picked up his first win of the season with 10, while sophomore Alex Kuntz (Richfield, Wis.) struck out seven batters in just three innings. 

Meanwhile, Tyler Bartczak totaled two strikeouts in his one inning. 

The Falcons will look to move to .500 in their next conference doubleheader, when they take on the nationally ranked Eagles of Benedictine from Kapco Park on Saturday, with the first pitch set for noon.