The beauty of baseball is that anything can happen in any given game.  While some games may be high scoring and offense filled, others may be pitchers' duals where pitching and defense run the game.  In Thursday's double header against the Cougars of Cal State San Marcos, the Eagles dropped both games, but showed that a tough loss in game one wouldn't keep them down in game two.

In game one, the Cougars struck first, scoring one in the first off the starter, Morgan Brannock.  

Concordia answered back in the bottom half of the inning, sparked by a single from Haloa Dudoit.  Jair Donovan followed with a walk and a wild pitch advanced both runners.  Josh Balbuena reached on an error, bringing in Dudoit and tying the score at one.  Another error, this time on a bad pickoff attempt, brought in Donovan to give the Eagles the lead.

Brannock sat San Marcos down in order in the top of the second.

With one out in the bottom of the second, Tony Garcia sent a double into right-center field.  Ryan Land stepped up to the plate with two outs and crushed his first home run of the year, sending one over the right field fence to add two more Eagles runs.  The Eagles ended the inning leading 4-1.

After working a scoreless third and fourth, Brannock allowed a run on two hits.  Garcia caught a runner trying to steal, and then a ground out ended the Cougar threat in the fifth.

Brannock allowed two runs in the top of the sixth before Jack Ruegge came in in relief. He inherited a tied ball game and a runner on second with no outs.  CSUSM's Dvorak drilled a two-run double into left field to put the Cougars up 6-4.  Brannock would finish his day allowing five runs.  

After allowing two of his own, Ruegge was relieved by Collin Orellana.  The Eagles would head into the bottom of the sixth trailing 9-4.

In the bottom of the seventh, down 10-4, Dudoit and Donovan led off with back-to-back singles.  A walk to Bailey Collins loaded the bases for pinch hitter, Dane Vande Gutche, who came up and knocked in two with a double.  Millar followed up with an RBI single to bring in Collins.  Millar stole second, allowing Vande Gutche to score, bringing the Eagles back within two.

Cade Temple would take the mound for Concordia in the top of the ninth, allowing four.  The game would finish this way, with Cal State San Marcos winning 14-8.  

Brannock would take the loss, going five innings and allowing five runs on seven hits, four runs being earned.  In Orellana's two and 2/3 innings he struck out three.

Land and Vande Gutche led the team with two RBIs in game one.  Dudoit, Donovan, and Millar each had two hits.  Collins reached three times out of four plate appearances, walking once and getting hit by a pitch twice.  Millar had two stolen bases, and Donovan and Collins each had one.

Game two was a much different ball game.  In this pitchers' dual, Alex Zalasky got the start on the mound for the Eagles.

Concordia scored first, putting a run up the bottom of the first thanks to back-to-back doubles from Donovan and Collins.  Collins would be caught trying to take third to end the inning, but his RBI put the Eagles in front 1-0.  

Zalasky held the Cougar offense at bay through the first three innings, until two walks came back to haunt the Eagles when a double brought in both.  This put San Marcos up 2-1.

Not being able to capitalize on multiple scoring opportunities, the Eagles dropped game two 2-1.  Temple started game two, this time at third base.  He notched his first career hits, a single and later a triple.  Millar and Donovan each had one hit in the game, bringing their total hit count for the day to three each.

Zalasky got the loss, despite going four innings and only giving up two hits.   Isaiah Bettencourt came in and tossed three solid innings, allowing two hits and no runs.