Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 The Aurora University softball team traveled to River Forest, Illinois on Saturday afternoon to take on Dominican University in an Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference showdown. AU would split losing the first game 2-1 and winning the second game 4-3. The Spartans remain atop the NACC standings and control their own destiny for a NACC title.

Game One
Dominican  2
Aurora 1

In the circle for the Spartans would be sophomore Vanessa Hartzell,  she pitched a complete game with two earned runs, two walks and four strikeouts.

The Stars would jump to an early lead in the bottom of the first when Sara Hausi would single to shortstop scoring Ashley Rea to bring the Dominican the early lead. The Stars would grab one more run in the second to extend the lead to 2-0.

The Spartans would fight back in the third when Laura Dierking walked and Steph Starr singled up the middle scoring Dierking and close the gap to 2-1.

AU would get a runner on in each of the final four innings but could not manufacture a run to tie the game and fell 2-1 to the Stars.

Game Two
Aurora 4
Dominican 3

Junior Natalle Zanella would get the start for the Spartans giving up three runs and seven hits in 3-1/3 innings pitched. Hartzell came in relief of Zanella and earned the win with 3-2/3 innings pitched.

The Stars would jump to another early lead when Hausi singled to left center scoring two to bring the score to an early Dominican lead of 2-0 in the first inning.

AU would fight back in the top of the fourth when Steph Star hit a three-run homer to left center scoring Sarah Clauser and Laura Dierking who both reached on singles. This would give the Spartans the lead of 3-2.

The lead was not long lived, Dominican's Giannini homered off of Zanella in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game 3-3. Hartzell would relieve Zanella and get out of the inning with no more runs scored.

AU's Vanessa Wagner came to the plate in the top of the fifth inning and hit a go ahead solo home run to bring the lead to 4-3.

Dominican put a scare in the Spartans in the seventh inning, getting runners to second and third with two outs but Hartzell got her eighth and final strikeout to end the game.

With the win, AU is now 20-10 overall and 14-2 in the NACC. Next action for the Spartan softball team comes on Monday, April 21 when they host Wisconsin Lutheran College. Game time is set for 3:00 p.m. at the Stuart Sports Complex in Montgomery, Ill.