IRVINE, Calif. - Two clutch home runs and another tremendous day of pitching helped the second-ranked Concordia Eagles weave their way past a talented Chaminade squad on Monday.

CUI stayed undefeated and moved to 26-0 overall and 14-0 in conference play after securing two wins on their home field.

Monday also marked the beginning of a 12-game homestand against the three PacWest schools that hail from Hawai'i. The second-place Silverswords came in ready to battle but the Eagles outlasted the visitors on associate coach Rose Imbriano's birthday.


Game 1:  CUI 5, Chaminade 1

Erika Morris and Cortney Koelmans combined to limit Chaminade to only five hits and one earned run over seven frames. 

The two right-handers pitched to contact and despite only tallying one strikeout together, the Eagles never relinquished the lead after grabbing a 3-0 advantage in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Sydney Sprinkle unleashed a double to the corner in right field which plated Megan Massa to open the scoring.  The next batter was Missy Nemeth and she deposited her team-leading sixth home run of the year over the fence.

CUI led 3-1 in the fifth when the Eagles added two more unearned runs. Pinch-runner Megan Johnson scored on an error to make it 4-1 and then Nemeth was at it again. This time the first baseman smacked a RBI single to plate Shelli Faulk which would round out the scoring.


Game 2:  CUI 1, Chaminade 0 (9 innings)

Megan Massa crushed a walk-off solo shot in the bottom of the ninth inning to stun the Silverswords in the nightcap. 

Massa sent the ball over the right field wall after taking a called strike to the delight of the home dugout.

Just as important as Massa's blast was the combination of starting pitcher Katlin Entrup and catcher Shelby Pfeiler. That duo was in a groove and Entrup pitched nine scoreless innings to notch the complete game shutout.

Entrup only allowed three hits in this dominant outing and is now just one of three pitchers in all of NCAA DII to have at least 10 wins and zero losses this season.



Chaminade and CUI will play two more times on Tuesday with game one beginning at 2 p.m. PT.  The Eagles continue their homestand later this week with game on Friday and Saturday against Hawai'i Hilo.

CLICK HERE for the full CUI softball schedule