RIVER FOREST, Ill. - Marian University baseball (7-10, 0-2 NACC) opened NACC play on the road at Concordia Chicago in a rematch of the two teams that earned a share of the NACC regular season championship a season ago.  The Cougars needed a walk-off to defeat the Sabres in game one 3-2 before using a fast start in game two to defeat MU 11-2.

Jake Falish had a clutch two-out single through the right side with the bases loaded to open the scoring and given Marian a 1-0 lead before the Cougars bounced back for a pair of runs off two hits in the third inning.

The Sabres looked poised to take the lead right back in the top half of the fifth inning when MU loaded the bases with nobody out but a foul ball pop out followed by two strikeouts ended the Sabre threat.

Tommy Dugandzic and Adam Ryan then started the offense again in the top of the eighth with back to back singles to start the inning.  Dugandzic would be picked off second on a back-pick from the catcher before Mitchel Buss roped a double into left field scoring Ryan and tieing the game at 2-2.

Marian was able to work around a lead off single in the ninth inning, but the Cougars were able to take advantage of a lead off single in the 10th to walk it off and earn the 3-2 win.

Ryan and Tony Grannis each had multi-hit games in the loss with Ryan going 2-5 with a pair of runs scored and Grannis going 2-4.

Ty Peccioli would go 4.0 innings with four strikeouts, while only allowing three hits and two runs in the start for Marian.  Jordan Bock put together another solid appearance out of the bullpen going 3.2 innings without allowing a hit or a run.

The second half of the doubleheader would be all Concordia Chicago as the Cougars would score all 11 of their runs in the first six innings of the contest. 

Ryan had another multi-hit game going 2-4 with a two-run blast to right center, his second of the season.  Justin Stender closed out the final 2.0 innings of the game only allowing one hit, while holding CUC scoreless.

Marian looks to bounce back in conference play hosting Rockford tomorrow, Wednesday, April 6, for a 2 p.m. doubleheader.

--FightBlueFight--