A Third Straight Win To Start The Season

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (2/25/15)—Concordia stepped up its game against a tough Division III opponent as they posted a 6-4 victory over reigning CCIW conference champion Augustana (Ill.).

The Cobbers used a four-run sixth inning and the outstanding pitching of Billy Jacobson, Ryan Heisler and Bryce Feia to beat a Viking team that won 29 games last year and returned six starting position players and 22 returning letter winners.

Concordia remains unbeaten on the season, pushing their record to 3-0. The last time the Cobbers won three straight to open the season was in 2011. Augustana, which has won at least 25 games in 15 of the past 16 seasons, sees their overall record drop to .500 at 2-2.

The Cobber continued their solid offensive play against Augustana. CC pounded out 10 hits and has now recorded 43 hits and scored 33 runs in the first three games of the year.

A quartet of Concordia players all had two hits against the Vikings to lead the offensive attack. Sophomore Aaron Green, senior Devin Johnson, junior Cody Rahman and senior Nick Bornhauser all had two hits and drove in four of the team's six runs.

Bornhauser has torn the cover off the ball in the first three games of the year. He is 7-for-10 on the year and has driven in five runs and scored six times.

The Cobbers scored a single run in the top of the third inning when Johnson singled home Green after Green had doubled down the left field line.

Augustana scored two runs in the fourth before Concordia exploded for the decisive four runs in the sixth inning. CC had three hits and was helped by a Viking error in the inning. The big hit came off the bat of Bornhauser when he singled home two runs.

The Cobbers added an insurance run in the eighth after a Phil Kuball two-out single scored Bornhauser.

Jacobson started the game and pitched the first six innings. He scattered eight hits and allowed only three runs. Jacobson struck out four and did not walk a batter in earning his first win of the year. He retired seven of the first 10 batters he faced and only gave up a pair of singles in the first three frames.

Heisler made his first collegiate appearance look easy. He pitched the seventh and eighth innings and did not allow a hit. Heisler struck out one and retired four of the final five batters he faced.

Feia, the Cobber closer, earned his first save of the year by finishing off the game in the bottom of the ninth. He struck out one and gave up a pair of hits.

Concordia will loom to extend their early-season winning streak when they play Hanover (Ind.) and Cleary (Mich.) in single games beginning at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 26.