With the unruly sun emerging only after the first pitch, the Chicago men’s baseball team placed its three-game winning streak on the line at J. Kyle Anderson stadium against the 16-3 Concordia Chicago.

The game ended in a 9–5 defeat for the Maroons, but also demonstrated the team’s ability to contend with strong competition. The Cougars are ranked 29th in the nation by the ABCA poll for D-III baseball teams.

In the second inning of Tuesday’s game, two doubles and a single by the heart of the Cougar lineup ensured two early runs against Maroon starting pitcher Marshall Oium.

Coming off a tough relief appearance last week against North Park, Oium managed to effectively skate in and out of trouble for the first six innings and was able to induce a double play with the bases loaded to eventually work out of his second-inning jam.

The Maroons quickly struck back, capitalizing on an RBI single by center fielder Jack Cinoman in the bottom of the third to come within one run. Cinoman, recently named NCAA Division III National Hitter of the Week, had three hits on the day.

After relinquishing only four runs throughout the first six innings, Oium came out for the seventh with the score tied.

“In the seventh inning I was over 90 pitches,” said Oium. “Obviously I shouldn’t have thrown more than 90.”

The seventh inning proved too much for the fading Maroon arms, as the Cougars offense scored three runs on the way to their 17th victory of the season. After knocking Oium from the game by belting two consecutive doubles en route to scoring the go-ahead run, the Cougar offense had finally emerged.

Preston Atteberry, in relief of Oium, surrendered two singles and threw two wild pitches, giving the Cougars a 7–4 lead by the middle of the seventh.

It would prove to be all the insurance the Cougars needed.

Maroon-designated hitter Tony Logli’s RBI double in the bottom of the seventh, one of his two hits of the day, established the possibility of a Maroon resurgence. However, stellar bullpen appearances by Cougar relievers Micah Buss and Tim Milroy frustrated Chicago’s inchoate comeback.

The Maroons dropped to 8–7 on the season. They will play next on Saturday at 1 p.m. against Dallas at St. Xavier University.