LA CROSSE, Wis. – The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) tournament champion Kalamazoo College baseball team played its first NCAA Regional game in program history against No. 13 Concordia-Chicago, but came up short 13-2 late Wednesday night at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.
Concordia (33-11) jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first following five hits and a walk by the Cougars.
Kalamazoo (24-19-1) closed to within one run in the top of the third. After a one-out single from Ryan Orr, the Hornets drew four straight walks in the inning to score two runs causing a pitching change before a double play ended the threat at 3-2.
The Cougars matched the Hornets' two runs in the top of the third with two of their own in the bottom half of the frame on a couple of hits and an error to make it 5-2. Concordia's offense exploded for six runs in the bottom of the fourth before tacking two more runs on in the bottom of the eighth inning to yield the final score.
The Hornets were limited to just five hits in the game while Concordia recorded 14. Ryan Orr led Kalamazoo offensively with a pair of hits and a run scored.
With the loss, Kalamazoo is scheduled to play Thursday afternoon against North Central in an elimination game. First pitch is scheduled for 2:15 p.m. EDT.