Baseball Triumphs in Dramatic Walk-Off Win

TUCSON, Ariz. – The Concordia University Wisconsin baseball team improved to 3-3 after a thrilling, high-scoring walk-off victory over the Bethany Lutheran College Vikings.

Bethany Lutheran jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning, but the Falcons quickly responded in the bottom half. Senior Josh Aguiniga (Chicago, Ill.) singled to right field, driving in senior Kyle Flynn (Downers Grove, Ill.) to put CUW on the board.

The Vikings were kept off the scoreboard in the second, and Concordia took full advantage, exploding for eight runs in the bottom of the inning. Flynn ignited the offense with a two-RBI, bases-clearing triple to center field. He then crossed the plate on a single by freshman Graham Kasten (Mequon, Wis.), giving the Falcons a 4-3 lead.

Senior Josh Aguiniga (Chicago, Ill.) followed with a sacrifice fly for another RBI, and sophomore Luke Heinkel (Brookfield, WIs.) added an RBI single to right field.

The offense did not stop there. Junior Matt Miller (Fredonia, Wis.) singled to center, and senior Jack Owens (Chicago, Ill.) doubled to left, bringing in both Heinkel and Miller. By the end of the second inning, CUW held a commanding 9-3 lead.

However, Bethany Lutheran fought back, slowly chipping away at the deficit, and tied the game 9-9 in the top of the sixth.

The Falcons quickly regained the lead in the bottom half of the inning with three runs. Sophomore Alex Ames (Plymouth, Wis.) began the rally, driving in Miller with a single to right. One batter later, Flynn followed suit, scoring another run for CUW. Kasten capped off the inning with an RBI single, plating Ames and extending the Falcons' lead to 12-9.

The defense delivered a highlight-reel moment in the top of the eighth when Aguiniga executed a rare triple play. He caught a line drive, tagged second base, then threw to first base to complete the triple play.

The Falcons carried that momentum into the bottom of the eighth, with sophomore Connor Lasch (Chicago, Ill.) singling to right field to bring in Flynn, who had earlier singled.

But as the game progressed, things got tense. In the top of the ninth, Bethany scored five unanswered runs to take a 14-13 lead, setting the stage for a dramatic finish.

With their backs against the wall and only three outs remaining, the Falcons set the stage for a walk-off.

Ames led off the bottom of the ninth with a single to left. Flynn was then hit by a pitch, and senior Brynden Cleveland (Crestwood, Ill.) also took a pitch to the body, loading the bases for Lasch. On the second pitch he saw, Lasch lined a ball into the left-center gap, scoring Ames and Flynn to give CUW a 15-14 walk-off victory.

Flynn and Lasch led the offensive charge, each recording a team-high four hits and three RBIs. Ames also had a strong showing, tallying four hits and one RBI. Owens and Kasten each contributed two RBIs.

On the mound, senior Jack Hribernik (Menomonee Falls, Wis.) pitched 3.2 innings, striking out four batters. Senior Owen Burns (Morris, Ill.) followed with 3.1 innings of solid relief, allowing just one earned run while striking out five. Senior Matthew Ward (East Dundee, Ill.) threw 1.1 innings, and Chris Rooney closed the game, pitching 0.2 innings, striking out two, and earning the win to improve his record to 1-1 on the season.

Next, the Falcons will take a short break before returning to action on Friday against Crown College.