The Dominican University baseball team snapped a five-game losing streak in a big way on Sunday afternoon, topping the eighth-ranked Concordia University Chicago Cougars, 5-2 in game one of a Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) doubleheader. The win was just the second for the Stars over their River Forest rivals since 2001, snapping a 26-game skid against the Cougars.
"Baseball is a funny game," commented Steve Hardman, Dominican's head coach. "Twenty-four hours ago we looked like we could not beat anyone and today we went toe-to-toe with one of the top teams in the nation.
Colin Janison threw an excellent game. He single-handedly put the team on his back and led us to victory. He is that type of player and I know he had that game circled on the schedule for some time."
Janison limited the Cougars to just two runs on five hits and one walk while striking out 11 to improve to 3-3 on the season, tossing his second complete game. The biggest inning for Janison may have been the bottom of the first. After the Cougars opened the inning with a walk and a double, Janison limited Concordia Chicago to just one run, ending the inning with his first strikeout of the afternoon.
Offensively, Janison was right in the thick of a three-run rally for the Stars in the top of the fourth as the Stars opened a 4-1 lead.
Roque Bruno reached on an error to open the inning before
Joe Kukla worked a seven-pitch walk to put runners at first and second with nobody out. After a groundout pushed Bruno and Kukla to second and third, Janison smoked a triple to right to break the 1-1 tie.
Matt Segovia followed with his second RBI of the game, driving in Janison with a line drive down the third-base line.
Dominican added an insurance run in the seventh when
Nick Roeper singled up the middle with the bases loaded and two out, this time plating Segovia.
Concordia Chicago managed to get one back on an Andrew Massey sac fly in the bottom of the eighth before Janison came out and worked a 1-2-3 ninth, including a pair of strikeouts.
Dominican doubled up the Cougars in hits, pounding out ten hits in the game one win.
Frankie Sessa finished 3-for-5 as one of three Stars with multiple hits.
In game two, the Cougars exacted some revenge, picking up a 6-4 win.
The Stars fell behind 5-0 after five innings before rallying for four runs in the top of the sixth. A pair of infield singles sparked the rally before Janison drove in the first run with a single to left. After another single by Segovia loaded the bases, a walk forced in the second run of the inning. Dominican then scored two runs when Sessa singled through the right side, scoring Janison while Segovia was able to come across when the ball was mishandled in right field.
Concordia Chicago escaped the inning with the lead and added an insurance run in the bottom of the frame before the Stars put one runner on in each of the seventh, eighth and ninth innings but could not scratch across another run.
Medin Milla took the loss on the mound in game two for Dominican, falling to 0-3 on the season. Milla allowed five runs on nine hits over the first four-plus innings before
Tyler Foreman came on for the final 3.2 innings, limiting the Cougars to just one run on three hits.
Dominican managed nine more hits in game two, including a 3-for-4 effort for Janison who surpassed the 200-career hit mark with eight hits on the weekend to close the weekend with 205 career hits.
The Stars will take a break from league play on Thursday, hosting the Maranatha Baptist Sabrecats for a doubleheader at Boomers Stadium on Thursday. First pitch is slated for 5:00 p.m.
