Baseball Concludes Arizona Action with Comeback Win

TUCSON, Ariz. - On their final day in Tucson, the Falcons split a doubleheader against Saint John's University of Minnesota. They dropped the first game 3-9 but bounced back with an exciting 16-15 win in game two. With these results, the Falcons' record now stands at 5-5 after 10 games.

In the opening game, Saint John's jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first.

The Falcons responded in the top of the second, taking a 3-2 lead. Junior Matt Miller (Fredonia, Wis.) led off with a walk, stole second, and came home on a single by junior Anthony Buono (Streamwood, Ill.). Buono later scored on a Saint John's error, while sophomore Alex Ames (Plymouth, Wis.) drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. The final run of the inning came when senior Jack Owens (Chicago, Ill.) scored on a wild pitch.

Despite the early rally, Saint John's continued to score, adding two runs in the second, third, and fourth innings, plus one more in the fifth.

The Falcons struggled to generate any offense, ultimately falling 3-9 in game one. Senior Kyle Flynn (Downers Grove, Ill.), Buono, freshman Milo Upton (De Pere, Wis.), and Ames all recorded hits, with Buono and Ames driving in RBIs.

Senior Luke Bruckner (Fond du Lac, Wis.) pitched three innings, striking out one and facing 19 batters. Freshman Charlie Wahlen (Grafton, Wis.) pitched two innings, and senior Jake Hartley (Whitefish Bay, Wis.) pitched one inning with one strikeout.

The Falcons quickly shifted focus to game two, which would see a lot of roster rotation, with 23 players seeing action and all but one position being substituted at least once.

In game two, the Falcons struck first. Kyle Flynn doubled to right-center, and freshman Graham Kasten (Mequon, Wis.) singled through the left side to bring Flynn home, giving Concordia a 1-0 lead.

After a scoreless inning from senior Jack Hribernik (Menomonee Falls, Wis.), the Falcons added another run in the second. Freshman Colyn Lessila (Germantown, Wis.) singled to right field for his first collegiate hit, scoring fellow freshman Gavin Crellin (Phoenix, Ariz.), who had walked earlier in the inning.

However, the Johnnies exploded in the top of the third, putting up 10 runs to take a commanding 10-2 lead.

But the Falcons rallied in the fourth inning, scoring 10 unanswered runs to take a 12-10 lead. Lessila kept the momentum going, hitting a bases-loaded double to drive in two runs. Junior Isaac Schmidt (Waukesha, Wis.) added an RBI, and sophomore Luke Heinkel (Brookfield, Wis.) singled for another RBI.

The Falcons were not done there. Junior Drake Grod (Mosinee, Wis.) added an RBI single, and freshman Milo Upton reached base on an error, allowing Heinkel to score. Sophomore Jason Valdez (Glendale Heights, Ill.) hit a sac-fly to bring in Grod, and another error extended the inning, scoring another Falcon. Lessila capped off the big inning with a two-run single, giving Concordia a 12-10 lead.

Saint John's added a run in the fifth, but the Falcons quickly responded, adding four more in the bottom half of the inning.

With the bases loaded and two outs, senior Tyler Brandenburg (Saukville, Wis.) came through with a clutch bases-loaded double, driving in three runs. Lessila, continuing his strong performance, singled to center, scoring Brandenburg from second, and pushing the Falcons' lead to 16-11.

In the top of the sixth, senior Owen Burns (Morris, Ill.) kept Saint John's off the board, allowing just one hit.

However, the Falcons were unable to add any insurance in the bottom of the sixth, leaving the score at 16-11 as they went into the final inning with three outs to secure the win.

Saint John's mounted a comeback in the top of the seventh, scoring four runs to make it a one-run game. But junior Nikolai Nawracaj (New Lenox, Ill.) shut the door on the Johnnies' rally, recording the final out and sealing the 16-15 victory for the Falcons.

Lessila was the star of the game, going 4-for-4 in his first career start with a team-high six RBIs. Brandenburg also had a standout performance, going 1-for-1 with three RBIs. Overall, eight different Falcons contributed RBIs in the game.

Owen Burns earned the win, improving to 2-0 on the season. He pitched 3.1 innings, facing 16 batters and allowing just two runs. Nawracaj recorded his first save of the season.

The Falcons now head to Florida, where they will play three games starting next Friday against Grinnell.