Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 Opening the 2012 Northern Athletics Conference schedule and the AU softball home opening, the Spartans squared off against long-time rival Benedictine University Wednesday afternoon at the Stuart Sports Complex.
In a day that offense was few and far between for both teams, the Spartans came up short, losing the doubleheader by scores of 1-0 and 2-1.
Game One
Benedictine 1 Aurora 0
In the first game, AU had a scoring chance early on Benedictine starting pitcher Brittany Adcox. Spartan junior
Tristan Wilcox singled with one out and moved to second when senior
Maggie Cooper drew a
walk. Sophomore
Lindsey Nickelson came on to pinch run for Wilcox and both Spartan runners advanced to second and third with one out on a passed ball.
Adcox was able to wiggle out of the jam though as she got AU freshman Sam Angell to ground out and junior
Brooke Spencer to pop out to the shortstop to end the Spartan scoring chance.
Benedictine answered immediately after in the third inning when the visitors took advantage of two Spartan errors to bring across the eventual game-winning run.
The Spartans managed base runners in the third, fifth and sixth innings but none of the runners were able to advance to second for a scoring opportunity.
AU starting pitcher
Natalie Zanella was the tough luck losing pitcher as she scattered five hits, allowing one unearned run and struck out one.
Game Two
Benedictine 2 Aurora 1
The second game of the doubleheader followed a similar story line to the opening game, solid pitching byt both teams.
The visitors manufactured a run in the top of the second, with one out, an Eagle reached with a walk,
followed by a bunt single. A bunt attempt was popped up for the second out of the inning and the ninth hitter in the batting order. The nine hitter singled to center to load the bases bringing up the top of the Eagle order. BU's lead off hitter singled off the glove of AU starting pitcher
Hope Webster, plating the first run of the game.
Webster got out of the jam when she induced a ground out to herself on the next hitter.
The Spartans responded in the bottom of the fourth inning with a lead-off double by Wilcox. Nickelson came on to pinch-run for her and she moved to third base after a sacrifice bunt by Cooper. Spencer then stepped to the plate and drove a ball to center field that Nickelson tagged up on and scored just ahead of the Eagle throw, tying the game 1-1.
In the top of the fifth Zanella came on in relief of Webster and she set down the Eagles in order.
In the top of the sixth, Benedictine struck again. Once again, the visitors manufactured a run. A lead-off single was quickly followed by a sac bunt and ground out that moved the BU runner to third. With two-outs, the Eagle seven hitter singled up the middle to drive in the go ahead run.
AU had no answer for Eagle pitcher Pondo as she allowed just one runner to reach on an error in the seventh inning to pick up the win. The Spartans were only able to manage one hit in the second game and three base runners total.
Zanella was once again had little luck as she picked up the loss to drop the AU overall record to 3-9 on the season and 0-2 in the NAC.
