Extra innings has been the norm so far in the 2015 NCAA Division III Pella Regional games as the Aurora University Spartans and Gustavus Adolphus Golden Gusties went to to toe for 12 innings with the Spartans prevailing 3-2.

AU did not get a hit until the fourth inning when Mandey Shrader collected a base hit and that was the Spartans only hit of the game until extra innings arrived. While the Spartan offense was quiet, the Gusties provided the Spartans with many nervous moments as they stranded multiple runners in four of the first five innings but Spartan junior pitcher Vanessa Hartzell stood strong in the circle.

In the sixth inning, Shrader narrowly missed allowing the game to end in regulation innings. She drove a ball to deep center only to have the Gustie center fielder reach over and rob a would be home run.

As the game entered the ninth inning the entertainment and nerve factor both went out of the park. Shrader led off the top of the ninth with a solo blat to left field giving the Spartans the first run of the game. After a pitching change for Gustavus Adolphus, Logan Cahill singled and then scored on a double from Steph Starr.

Leading 2-0 in the bottom of the inning, Hartzell quickly got two outs and had two strikes on the third hitter, who blooped a ball just beyond the out stretched arms of a diving Larkin Langston for a hit. An error followed to put two runners on which was then followed by back to back singles to tie the game up at 2-2 and forcing more free softball.

AU left two runners stranded in both the 10th and 11th innings while Hartzell continued to hold the Gusties at bay.

In the 12th, Huebner singled with one out and moved to second on a ground out by Shrader. Cahill then doubled down the right field line to score Huebner with the go ahead run, 3-2 AU.

Hartzell needed only seven pitches in the bottom of the 12th to set down the Gusties and give AU the 3-2 win. Hartzell scattered 10 hits, struck out three and while she walked four, several of those were intentional. The AU offense produced nine of their 10 hits in extra innings with Shrader, Cahill, Starr and Megan Nerger all collecting two hits each.

With the win, AU is now 37-6 overall. The Spartans will now play tomorrow, Sunday, May 10 in the NCAA Division III Softball Pella Regional Championship game. Game time is at 1:00 p.m. at Central College against one of the three remaining opponents in the regional, Gustavus Adolphus, Fontbonne University or Central.