Edgewood Grounds Falcons in Friday Showdown

MEQUON, Wis. – The Concordia University Wisconsin Falcons returned to Kapco Park for the first time since April 1dy, hosting the Edgewood College Eagles in a pivotal NACC doubleheader. Both teams entered the matchup with identical 5-5 records in conference play, but it was the visiting Eagles who came away with the sweep, defeating the Falcons 4-3 in game one and 9-1 in game two.

With the pair of losses, CUW drops to 13-12 overall and 5-7 in NACC play.

The Eagles jumped out to an early lead, plating three runs in the top of the first inning. However, the Falcons clawed their way back, tying the game at 3-3 by the end of the fourth.

Sophomore Connor Lasch (Chicago, Ill.) sparked the comeback with an RBI double in the first. A wild pitch brought home another run in the third, and freshman Gavin Crellin (Phoenix, Ariz.) delivered a clutch RBI single in the fourth to even the score.

The game remained deadlocked until the top of the seventh, when Edgewood scratched across a go-ahead run to take a 4-3 lead. Despite a determined effort, CUW could not find the equalizer in their final at-bats.

On the mound, sophomore Alex Kuntz (Richfield, Wis.) took the loss, falling to 4-3 on the year. He struck out eight over 5.1 innings. Senior Owen Burns (Morris, Ill.) was solid in relief, tossing 2.2 scoreless innings.

Crellin led the Falcon offense with a team-high two hits and one RBI.

Game two remained scoreless through four innings, but Edgewood broke the tie with a run in the fifth. The game unraveled for the Falcons in the seventh, when defensive miscues led to seven unearned runs for the Eagles.

CUW's offense struggled to gain momentum, managing just one run in the contest. Sophomore Jason Valdez (Glendale Heights, Ill.) drove in the lone run with a single to center.

Freshman Graham Kasten (Mequon, Wis.) and junior Matt Miller (Fredonia, Wis.) each tallied two hits to lead CUW at the plate.

Senior Luke Bruckner (Fond du Lac, Wis.) got the start, going 5.2 innings and allowing two earned runs. Freshman Charlie Wahlen (Grafton, Wis.) added 1.1 innings of relief, and freshman Caleb Couser (Abingdon, Md.) closed out the game with two innings, striking out two.

The Falcons will not have to wait long for a chance to bounce back. They will return to Kapco Park tomorrow to host the Spartans of Aurora University who come in the contest with 14-11 overall record and a 9-3 mark in the NACC, in another important conference showdown.