Baseball Ends Season at NAC Tournament

FOND DU LAC, Wis. – The Rockford College baseball team had high aspirations this weekend as it prepared for the Northern Athletics Conference Tournament.  However, the Regents knew it would be a challenge with the new six team format and the difficult path ahead for them.  Rockford opened the tournament against the Concordia University Chicago Cougars knowing if they lost they would have to play again right away, most likely against the Aurora University Spartans.

The Regents and Cougars played a very competitive game back and forth game Thursday afternoon.  Rockford got off to a fast start in the top of the first inning scoring two runs.  The first three batters of the game all recorded base hits with senior Jimmy Dercks (Kaukauna, Wis./Kaukauna) leading off the game with a double and senior Kevin Miller (Elk Grove, Ill./Elk Grove) driving him in two batters later.  Jake Nicholson (Stilllman Valley, Ill./Stillman Valley) made it a 2-0 lead a couple of batters later with a single to center field.  Concordia Chicago answered right back taking advantage of a Rockford error in the bottom of the inning and knotted the game at 2-2. The Cougars took a 3-2 lead scoring a run in the bottom of the second inning.  The Regents would mount a rally in the fourth inning, loading the bases with one out.  Senior Curt Daughenbaugh (Dakota, Ill./Dakota) tied the game at 3-3 on an RBI groundout.  However, the Cougars got out of the inning after intentionally walking Dercks and getting the following batter to fly out.   The seventh inning was ultimately the difference as Concordia Chicago broke the game open scoring three runs.  The Cougars held on to that lead winning the game 6-3. 

After about an hour break, Rockford returned to the diamond to fight for its tournament life against #1 seed Aurora University.  The Regents struggled early in the game falling behind 6-1 after four innings.  After scoring a run on two Spartan errors in the fifth inning, Rockford had the tying run on base in the bottom of the sixth inning.  The Regents had runners on second and third when catcher Jake Gorsuch (Rockford, Ill./Jefferson) drove in his second run of the game on an RBI groundout cutting the lead to 6-3.  Following back-to-back hit batters, the Regents had the bases loaded with two outs and a chance to put pressure on the Spartans.  However, Aurora would again get out of a tough spot with a strikeout to end the threat.  Aurora scored two runs in the following inning and another in the top of the ninth to win the game 9-3. 

Despite the early exit in the NAC Tournament, the baseball team finished the season with a 23-17 overall record and a second place finish in the Northern Athletics Conference.  The Regents have now finished in either first or second place in five of the six years since joining the Northern Athletics Conference for the 2007 season.