Baseball

Cougars 5-7 After Busy Week
         After a flurry of games, the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville baseball team is sitting at a 5-7 record and a 1-2 mark in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.
         The Cougars played seven games last week at the rain-shortened Savannah Invitational, then returned home for three games - two of them conference games - against Northern Kentucky.
         SIUE opened the Savannah Invitational with an 8-4 win against Clarion.
         The Cougars then went on a six-game slide, which included a 4-2 loss to Northern Kentucky in their GLVC opener and a 16-1 defeat to No. 4-ranked Armstrong Atlantic.
         SIUE broke out of its slump with an 18-3 victory over Concord. The Cougars exploded for 20 hits and the Cougars’ pitching staff held Concord to five hits to secure the victory.
         The Cougars split a conference doubleheader on Saturday, then defeated Northern Kentucky on Sunday.
         “I don’t think we are playing to our full capability,” said Coach Gary Collins. “David Briesacher (Waterloo) and Ryan Spurgeon (Bethalto) have been throwing the ball well, and Craig Ohlau (Chester) and Jason Baecht (Jerseyville) have been hitting well.
         “The top of the order has been solid, but I’d like to see more production from the bottom of our lineup.”
         The Cougars will be in action again Wednesday when Kentucky Wesleyan comes to town for a GLVC double-header. Game one is scheduled for noon at Roy Lee Field. SIUE will then travel for a weekend series with Wisconsin-Parkside.