Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

RIVER FOREST, Ill. – The Edgewood College baseball team secured their third Northern Athletics Conference Tournament berth in the past six years, with an 8-7 cliffhanger over Concordia University Chicago on Tuesday night. The Cougars bounced back to blank the Eagles 10-0 in the nightcap.

Edgewood College (14-21, 11-9 NAC) entered the day needing one win in their final four conference games to secure their first berth since 2010. The Eagles started with a bang, taking advantage of two Concordia University Chicago errors for a seven-run first inning. Leading 2-0, Sean Thompson banged a two-run double to left field scoring Jake Zadra and Mike Selvaggi. The next batter, freshman Jake Thome, unloaded on a 1-0 pitch for his first career home run to put the Eagles ahead 7-0.

Concordia University Chicago (28-10, 15-5 NAC) responded immediately with four runs in the bottom of the first inning. Zadra put the Eagles back in front 8-4 with an RBI groundout that scored Alex Jaskulski in the second inning. The Cougars continued to chip away, cutting the Eagles' lead to 8-7 after the seventh inning and setting up a wild bottom of the ninth.

An Eagle throwing error and a single by Concordia Chicago's Rich Santarelli put two runners on with one out against Eagle reliever Joe Gura. After a fly ball out, Robert Weis walked to load the bases, bringing Brenden Schulz to the plate. Schulz nearly ended the game with a sharp ground ball that went just foul of first base, before lifting an 0-2 pitch to short right-center field. Eagle right fielder Brad Clark got the jump on the ball and laid out for a diving catch to end the game and secure the Eagles' postseason berth.

Jaskulski went 2-for-4 with a double, while Clark also picked up two hits. Thome finished 1-for-2 with a pair of walks and three runs batted in, courtesy of his home run. Starting pitcher Miles Mayer earned the win, going seven and one-third innings, giving up six earned runs and striking out one Cougar batter. Gura became just the fourth Eagle in history to record at least three saves in a season.

Concordia University Chicago jumped all over the Eagles in game two putting up three runs in the first and third innings off Edgewood College starter Marc Ostrowski. The Eagles best threat came in the seventh inning when Zadra and Ryan O'Dell notched a pair of two-out singles, but the Eagles couldn't advance them further.

O'Dell had two hits to lead the Eagles' offense. Zadra went 1-for-3 which extended his hitting streak to 11 games and gave him 22 consecutive games reaching base safely. Brandon Bartels picked up the Eagles' other hit in the game.

Edgewood College and Dominican University both clinched NAC Tournament berths on Tuesday night. The Eagles can lock down the fifth seed with a pair of wins against Lakeland College on Saturday in the regular season finale. The Eagles also take on UW-Platteville in a single game on Wednesday night.