MEQUON, Wis. - The Rockford University baseball team hoped to push its NACC record back over .500 when hit the road on Saturday to take on the Concordia University Wisconsin Falcons. The Regents got the day off to a great start taking the opener by 4-2 final. However, it was the Falcons who won game two 6-4.
Rockford ace Michael Murray (Princeton, Ill.) took the mound for the Regents in game one. Murray once again was on top of his game as the junior turned in yet another quality start. The right-hander went 7.1 innings allowing just 1 earned run while striking out 5 to pick up his NACC leading sixth win of the season. In addition to leading the conference in wins, Murray also leads the NACC in ERA (0.61), is second in innings pitched (44.1) and third in strikeouts (34).
Despite Murray's outstanding performance, Rockford needed a late rally to secure the win as Concordia Wisconsin led for much of the game. CUW struck first with a single run in the bottom of the fourth inning. However, it could have been a lot worse as the Falcons had the bases loaded with no one out after taking the 1-0 lead. Fortunately Murray was able to buckle down and retire the next three batters to escape after allowing just the one run.
It remained 1-0 until the Regents tied the game with a solo run of their own in the top of the sixth. Following a Cole Logemann (Lena, Ill.) walk to begin the inning, junior Evan Frantini (Morris, Ill.) drove a double into left field giving Rockford runners on second and third with no one out. One batter later, Nick Naber (Rockford, Ill.) delivered a sacrifice fly into center field to tie the game at 1-1.
The game would remain tied until the bottom of the seventh when the Falcons scored a run to retake the lead. Concordia Wisconsin had just one hit in the inning but took advantage of two Rockford errors to grab a 2-1 advantage.
The lead would not last long as the Regents answered right back with a 3-run eighth inning giving Rockford its first lead of the day. After an error allowed Logemann to reach base, Evan Frantini tallied his second hit of the game moving Logemann into scoring position. Two batters later, Connor McHugh (Hoffman Estates, Ill.) tied the game with an RBI single into right field. Following a lineout to the shortstop, it was Brian Wiest (Lake Zurich, Ill.) who delivered the clutch two-out hit for Rockford. Wiest smashed a 2-run double to deep left field for his third hit of the game to put his team in front 4-2.
Murray retired one batter in the bottom of the eighth before Rockford turned the remainder of the game over to its bullpen. Sophomore David Camacho (Elk Grove, Ill.) threw the final 1.2 innings to pick up his first collegiate save. Camacho allowed no runs and just one hit as he secured the 4-2 Rockford win.
Despite having the momentum after winning the opener, Rockford fell behind in game two and was never quite able to recover. The Falcons took the early lead after scoring a run in the bottom of the first and then added 2 more runs in the bottom of the fourth.
Rockford finally got on the board with a two-run fifth inning to cut the CUW lead to just a single run. The Regents loaded the bases with no one out courtesy of a Falcon error and walks by Bobby Barrera (Waukegan, Ill.) and Jacob McKnight (Monroe Center, Ill.). Robert Smith (Bartlett, Ill.) then drove in Rockford's first run of the day on an infield single to first base. Cole Logemann further cut into the Falcon lead with a sacrifice fly into center field scoring McKnight to make it a 3-2 game.
The Falcons would answer back with solo runs in the fifth, sixth and eighth innings extending their lead to 6-2. Concordia Wisconsin took advantage of a pair of Regent errors over that span scoring an unearned run in both the sixth and eighth innings.
Those errors turned out to be costly as Rockford finally got its offense going in the top of the ninth inning. The Regents quickly loaded the bases with no outs after singles by Jacob McKnight and Kraemer Brandt (Elk Grove, Ill.) along with a Robert Smith walk. One batter later, Cole Logemann ripped an RBI single back up the middle cutting the Falcon lead down to just 3 runs. Rockford would make it a 6-4 game and place the tying run on second base after a passed ball allowed Brandt to score and all the runner to advance one base. Unfortunately, the Regents could not get any closer as Concordia Wisconsin struck out the final batter of the game en route to the 6-4 win.
The baseball team returns to action tomorrow at the University of Chicago. First pitch of the doubleheader is set for 1:00 p.m.
