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MEQUON, Wis. - The Benedictine University baseball team had its quest for an automatic bid into the NCAA CHampionship field thwarted with a pair of losses on Saturday.

Benedictine opened the day needing just a win to reach the conference title game but fell behind Concordia CHicago 4-0 and never recovered in an 8-6 defeat.

The regular season champion Cougars, who were swept in a double by Benedictine to open conference play, tallied three runs in the second and another in the fourth. Benedictine pulled within a run thanks to a three-run fifth keyed by RBI singles from Nick Karakosta and John Cervantes. Kevin Hendricks added an RBI fielder's choice in the frame.

Concordia Chicago immediately responded with two in the bottom of the frame and two more in the sixth to lead 8-3 as Benedictine could not record a shutdown inning. The Eagles kept fighting, scoring twice in the eighth and brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth but could not post the win.

Kevin Crowley suffered the loss, walking five in 5.1 innings. Cervantes was the lone player to post more than one hit in the defeat.

Following the loss, the Eagles had to go right back at it, facing Wisconsin Lutheran. Benedictine never led in a 5-1 defeat. Wisconsin Lutheran tallied three unearned runs in the third to take a 3-0 lead. Benedictine responded with a run in the bottom of the inning thanks to a sacrifice fly from Cervantes but could muster no more against Joey Hodkiewicz, who tossed a complete game for Wisconsin Lutheran.

The Eagles managed just five hits in the loss, two from Karakosta. Northern Athletics Conference Pitcher of the Year Chris Jordan took the loss, allowing just two earned runs in six innings.

Benedictine (32-10) was ranked fourth in the latest NCAA Division III Midwest Regional rankings, but will have an anxious Monday morning waiting to see if the club is chosen as an at large entrant into the field.