RIVER FOREST, Ill. - The Rockford University baseball team won a pair of exciting games at Concordia University Chicago on Tuesday afternoon. The Regents pounded out 21 hits and never trailed en route to winning the opener by a final score of 17-8. Rockford had nine extra base hits in the game, including home runs by Jake Bilotta, Kadin Bergstrom, Zach Fabis and Nate Burdin. The nightcap was a seesaw affair with both teams having a chance to win the game on multiple occasions. Each team led by as many as two runs at various points in the game. The Cougars scored single runs in the seventh and ninth to tie the game and send it to extras. Rockford then scored a pair of runs in the eleventh, including a solo home run by Kadin Bergstrom, to propel the Regents to a 9-7 win and a sweep of the regular season series.


Game 1

• Rockford came out swinging with three runs in the top of the first inning. Jake Bilotta led off the game with a solo home run over the left field wall. Following a Kadin Bergstrom single and a Zach Fabis double, Nate Burdin drove in the second run of the game on an RBI single. One batter later, Blaise Mace gave Rockford a 3-0 lead on a sacrifice fly to center.
• The Regents tacked on three more runs in the top of the second to extend their lead to 6-0. Kadin Bergstrom crushed a three-run home run over the right center field fence to give Rockford a six-run cushion. 
• Starting pitcher Zach Fabis seemed to be cruising through his first four innings of work. Fabis allowed just a single run in the bottom of the third as Rockford entered the fourth leading 6-1.
• The RU offense came though with its third three-run inning of the game in the top of the fifth. Kadin Bergstrom doubled and then Zach Fabis belted his first collegiate home run to make it an 8-1 RU lead. Rockford tacked on one more run on a Ryan Stary RBI single to left field.
• However, things got a little messy for the Regents over the next two innings. The Cougars struck for five runs in the bottom of the fifth and two more runs in the sixth to get all the way back to within a single run at 9-8.
• Fortunately, the RU offense still had some firepower left. Rockford added its fourth and final three-run inning of the game in the top of the seventh. Ryan Stary and Zach Duke began the frame with a single and a double to put runners on second and third with no one out. One batter later, Jake Bilotta cracked a two-run double into left to make it 11-8. Kadin Bergstrom knocked in the final run of the inning on an RBI groundout to give Rockford a 12-8 lead.
• The Regents then put the game away with five runs in the top of the ninth. Zach Duke, Joseph Stagowski and Kadin Bergstrom all singled to load the bases. Zach Fabis drove in the first run of the frame with an RBI single to center. One batter later, Nate Burdin basically ended the game with a grand slam over the right field wall for the 17-8 lead. 
• Reliever Aaron Monti came in and pitched the final four innings for Rockford. Monti allowed a single run off just one hit and retired 10 of the final 11 batters he faced, including the last eight, en route to earning his first collegiate save.

Game 2

• The nightcap saw the Regents score single runs in the first and second innings to take an early 2-0 lead. 
• Jake Bilotta manufactured a run for Rockford in the top of the first. Bilotta singled, advanced over to third on a error and then scored a Joseph Stagowski RBI fielder's choice.
• The Regents tacked on another run in the top of the second on an RBI single to left by Zach Duke to grab a two-run lead. 
• However, CUC answered with a pair of runs off two hits in the bottom half of the frame to tie the score at 2-2. 
• The score remained unchanged until the Cougars plated two more runs in the bottom of the fifth to take their first lead of the game. CUC strung together back-to-back RBI doubles to jump out in front 4-2. 
• Rockford would get one of the two runs right back in the top of the fifth. Following singles by Kadin Bergstrom and Zach Fabis, Nate Burdin drove in Bergstrom on an RBI fielder's choice to make it a 4-3 game.
• CUC responded with a run of their own in the bottom half of the inning. The Cougars hit three hits, including an RBI double, to extend their lead to 5-3. The damage could have been worse, but the Regents executed a perfect relay from Nate Burdin to Zach Duke to Preston Sewell to cut a down a runner at the plate and end the inning. 
• Rockford built on the momentum from the final play in the bottom of the sixth and scored four runs in the top of the seventh to retake the lead. Jake Bilotta got the scoring started with an RBI double into left field. One batter later, Joseph Stagowski drove in a pair of runs on a two-run double to center. Rockford's final run came on passed ball to give the Regents a 7-5 advantage.
• CUC did cut the Regent lead in half with a solo home run by Tyler Krater in the bottom of the seventh. 
• After a scoreless eighth and top of the ninth, the Cougars used a pair of hits and a walk to score a run and tie the game at 7-7. CUC had multiple chances to win the game in ninth with runners on first and second and one out and then runners on second and third with two outs. Fortunately, Will Hissong struck out the final batter of the inning to send the game into extras. 
• Both teams had chances to win the game in the tenth, but the Regents and Cougars each hit into double plays to essentially end any scoring threat.
• Kadin Bergstrom then proceeded to hit a leadoff home run in the top of the eleventh to give Rockford an 8-7 advantage. The Regents were then able to manufacture an insurance run later in the inning, capped off by a Cobi Cooper RBI single to make it 9-7.
• Will Hissong then retired the Cougars in order to earn his first win of the season.

Game 1

• Kadin Bergstrom finished 4-for-5 with a home run, a double, 4 RBIs and 4 runs scored.
• Zach Fabis went 4-for-6 with a home run, a double, 3 RBIs and 3 runs scored.
• Nate Burdin was 2-for-5 with a home run, 5 RBIs and 2 runs scored.
• Jake Bilotta finished 2-for-6 with a home run, a double, 3 RBIs and 3 runs scored.
• Zach Duke went 3-for-4 with a double and 2 runs scored.
• Blaise Mace was 3-for-5 with a double and an RBI.
• Aaron Monti pitched the final four innings of the game. Monti allowed just one run off one hit and earned his first collegiate save.

Game 2

• Jake Bilotta finished 4-for-5 with a double, 2 runs scored and an RBI.
• Kadin Bergstrom went 3-for-6, including blasting his NACC-leading 11th home run of the season. He also scored a pair of runs and drove in one.
• Zach Fabis was 3-for-5.
• Cobi Cooper went 3-for-5 with an RBI.
• Will Hissong pitched 5 innings in relief for his longest outing of the season. Hissong allowed 2 runs on 4 hits and struck out a pair of hitters to earn the victory.

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