Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 The Aurora University Spartan baseball team hosted the Raiders of Milwaukee School of Engineering in the 2012 Northern Athletics Conference opening doubleheader for both teams Saturday afternoon at Soflisburg Park.
The Spartans went on to sweep the doubleheader from MSOE, winning game one 8-7 in dramatic fashion and then winning game two 9-0.
Game One
Aurora 8 MSOE 7
In game one, AU found themselves in a hole early on. MSOE scored a run in the first inning and added
two more runs in the top of the second to take a 3-0 lead on Spartan starting pitcher
Brad Warnecke.
The AU offense answered in the bottom of the second with a four run explosion. The big hits of the inning coming off the bats of freshman
Carlos Olavarria (two-run single) and senior
Tim Mackey (two-run triple).
Both teams added runs in the fourth inning with Mackey driving in his third run of the game with senior
Josh Davidson scoring on the play.
The Spartans got two more runs in the sixth inning with Warnecke starting to get in a groove and limit the MSOE bats. The scoring was all done after two quick outs to start the inning off. Senior
Ryan Adams
After seven innings of play, AU led 7-4. Warnecke gave way to junior
Kevin Day in the eighth inning and some defensive miscues allowed MSOE to score three runs and tie the game 7-7. Junior relief potcher
Chris Skiniotes came on to get the last out of the eighth inning to keep the Spartans in the game.
Skiniotes set down the Raiders in the top of the ninth inning, setting up the dramatic bottom of the ninth inning. Walden reached on an error to lead-off the inning and was pinch run for by freshman
Cody Burton.
After moving to second on a sac bunt by Foley, Burton scored on a double by Olavarria that gave the Spartans the 8-7 game one win.
Game Two
Aurora 9 MSOE 0
Game two had a much different feel as AU leaned on freshman pitcher
Eric Palmer to set the tone early.
Palmer did not disappoint as he pitched seven innings, scattering four hits and struck out seven while not allowing a run. In fact, no Raider base runner advanced past second base in the game for MSOE against Palmer and senior
Anthony Buonamici.
While the Spartans pitching combo snuffed out the Raider bats, the Spartans bats responded. AU pounded out 15 hits and scored runs in five seperate innings.
AU got on the scoreboard in the first inning with Adams reaching on a single, advanced to second on a passed ball and scored on a VanAsdlen double.
The Spartans scratched across another run in the fourth inning with Walden singling and moving around to eventually score on a groundout by Olavarria.
In the fifth and sixth innings, the Spartans erupted for six runs, three in each inning. In the fifth, AU used a triple by Davidson and the stolen base to create offense. Adams drove in two runs while also stealing two bases and scoring a run himeself.
In the sixth, base stealing was once again the motive of the AU offense. A double-steal by senior
Bobby Wilson (stole home) and Davidson (stole second) tallied the first run and after Davidson swiped third he scored on a Mackey single. Mackey later would score on a single by Walden.
The final run of the game came across in the seventh inning for the Spartans when Mackey drove in junior catcher
Ryan McMahon.
Buonamici set down the Raiders in his two innings of relief work to seal the 9-0 AU win.
With the sweep, AU is now 12-3 overall and 2-0 in the NAC. The Spartans will travel to Benedictine University on Sunday, April 1. First pitch is set for 2 pm in Lisle, Ill.
