RIVER FOREST, Ill. – The Cougars, playing in the friendly confines of their home park due to a reschedule because of weather, overpowered the Edgewood College softball team after pounding out eight extra base hits and four home runs. The Eagles suffered their second-straight sweep in 8-3 and 10-3 losses to Concordia Chicago on Saturday afternoon.
Today's doubleheader was originally scheduled to be played at Ceniti Park in Verona in what would have been a more comfortable environment for the Eagles (11-13, 3-7 NACC), who have dropped five games in a row. Outside of Maddy Coppens' solo home run in the nightcap, the Eagle offense trailed in all 14 innings and were limited to 15 hits and six runs on the day.
It was the start of seven doubleheaders in the next eight days for the Eagles after numerous weather postponements forced them to crowd their schedule in the final week of the regular season.
Concordia Chicago (16-9, 7-3 NACC), who batted at the top half of each inning as the "away" team, got out to quick 3-0 start after plating three unearned runs in the second inning of game one. Hanna Fisher, playing second base for the first time in today's modified lineup, and Grace Delleman both added RBI singles in the bottom of the third to slice the deficit to 3-2. The Cougars would put the game away with a 4-run fifth inning that included a 2-run triple and helped the snap a 3-game skid.
Eagle starter Shannon Whitmus (6-6) struck out a season-high seven batters in her seventh complete game of the year. She allowed eight runs (five earned) and 13 hits.
Fisher, Amanda Meister, and Delleman each finished with two of the Eagles eight hits out of the 2-3-4 spots in the lineup. Delleman added a team-high two RBIs, including an RBI double.
Starter Maddy Coppens hit her second career home run, a solo shot, to lead off the third inning, but the Eagle offense couldn't keep up with a Cougar lineup that posted 10 runs, a season-high 16 hits, and two home runs in the 10-3 loss. It could have been a barn burner for both sides with 18 runners left on base between the two teams.
Another tough start set the tone for the Eagles in the top of the first. A 2-out error allowed the Cougars to plate three unearned runs on a pair of run-scoring singles and put the Eagles in an early 3-0 hole.
Down 5-2 heading into the bottom of the fifth, Meister bolted home on an errant throw by the third baseman to narrow the Cougar lead to 5-3. The Eagles put a scare into the Cougars after putting two runners aboard with only one out in the next inning. They couldn't push anyone across and finished the inning with a strikeout and popup.
The Eagles stranded seven runners on the day, including two each in the third and fifth innings, coming away with only one run in each frame.
Concordia Chicago scored seven of their 10 runs over the last three frames, including four in the top of the seventh. Allison Kruk led all hitters with five hits and three runs.
Fisher led the Eagle offense with her second-straight two-hit game.
Coppens tossed her first career seven-inning complete game and threw a career-high 114 pitches.
Next up the Eagles face Dominican at home for Senior Day tomorrow (Sunday) at noon. Both Megan Hauge and Shannon Whitmus will be honored between games.
