Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 Entering the weekend, the AU baseball team remained atop the Northern Athletics Conference standings and welcomed the Falcons of Concordia University Wisconsin to
Solfisburg Park. AU swept the doubleheader winning 10-4 and 5-3.
Game One
Aurora 10 Concordia Wis 4
Concordia got a run in the first inning when AU starting pitcher
Drew Gay gave up a solo home run.
The Spartans answered by stealing a run. Senior
Josh Davidson led off with a single and after a walk drawn by senior
Tim Mackey, the pair combined on a double-steal with the Falcon catcher attempting to throw out Mackey at second. Only one problem, the Concordia middle infield didn't cover the base allowing the throw to go into centerfield and Davidson to come around to score.
After Concordia took the lead in the fourth inning 2-1, the Spartans responded again and
quickly. Senior
Ryan Adams singled to lead-off the inning and quickly stole second. He immediately came around to score on a single by senior
Brett Van Asdlen. The AU bats continued to pound out singles, finishing with five in the inning and scoring three runs to take a 4-2 lead.
AU got two more runs in the fifth inning on a two-run home run by junior Mike Foley and then added a run in the sixth inning when senior
Bobby Wilson singled, stole second and scored on a single by Mackey.
The Spartans added three more insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth with singles and stolen bases being thr recipe once again. AU got four hits and two stolen bases in the inning.
Concordia would get two runs in the top of the ninth inning but that would prove to little to later as AU would win 10-4. In the game, AU had 15 hits and stole eight bases.
Gay earned his fifth win (5-0), pitching 8-1/3 innings and striking out seven.
Game Two
Aurora 5 Concordia Wis 3
In game two, the Spartans took the early lead and wouldn't look back despite a late rally by the visiting Falcons.
Davidson reached on an error and moved to second on a balk. He came around to score the first run of the game on a single by Mackey,
In the second inning, Davidson would drive in one of the two AU runs to be scored. His single to right scored freshman
Tanner Oymaian and Wilson scored on a double steal with Davidson swiping second and Wilson crossing the plate.
Concordia got a run across in the fourth inning on AU freshman pitcher
Eric Palmer who would scatter four hits over six innings of work.
AU answered with two runs of their own in the bottom half of the fourth inning. A lead-off
double by senior
Ryan Payne got the inning started. Payne scored on a single by Oymaian with Oymaian eventually scoring on a wild pitch.
With the Spartans leading 5-1, Concordia put the home crowd on the edge of their seats in the eighth inning. The Falcons got four hits and two runs on relief pitcher
Kevin Day. Spartan junior closer
Chris Skiniotes came on in relief of Day and got a Falcon
pinch hitter to weakly ground back to him to end the visitors threat.
Skiniotes set down the Falcons in order in the ninth inning to earn his sixth save of the season while helping Palmer earn his team high sixth win (6-0) of the season.
With the sweep of Concordia Wisconsin, AU is now 24-6 overall and 11-3 in the NAC. Next action for the Spartan baseball team comes on Sunday,
April 22 when they travel to Wisconsin Lutheran College. Game time is set for 1 p.m. in Milwaukee, Wis.
