Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 The Aurora University softball team hosted the Warriors of Wisconsin Lutheran in a Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference doubleheader on Tuesday afternoon at the Stuart Sports Complex. The Spartans would split with the Warriors winning the first game 8-4 and losing the night cap 2-1.

Game One
Aurora 8
Wisconsin Lutheran 4

The Spartans would get the early lead in game one and never look back. Freshman Mandey Shrader led off the with a single up the middle and Laura Dierking followed by doing the same advancing Shrader to second. Sarah Clauser then singled to right field scoring Shrader. Taylor Moore reached on an error from second base scoring Dierking which was then followed up by a Logan Cahill triple to left field clearing the bases and bringing the score to 4-0 Spartans. Spartans starting pitcher Vanessa Hartzell would hit a sacrifice fly to left field scoring Cahill and bringing the score to 5-0 at the end of the first

Aurora would grab two more in the bottom of the third when Rebecca Randall led off with a single and moved to third on a single by Schrader. After Schrader stole second, Dierking drove in Randall with a Warrior error. Clauser then drove in Shrader with a single to center and a 7-0 lead.

Wisconsin Lutheran would grab one run in the top of the sixth inning off Hartzell who had her way with the Warriors in the first five innings.

AU would get the run back in the bottom of the inning when Lauren Huebner singled, stole second and advanced to third on a passed ball. With one out, Shrader doubled to center field scoring Huebner. At the end of six the Spartans would lead 8-1.

The Warriors grabbed three runs in the top of the seventh but the Spartans would be able to hold them off to win 8-4. Hartzell earned the win with five strikeouts.

Game Two
Wisconsin Lutheran 2
Aurora 1

Game two saw both offenses struggle to get going.

The two runs for the Warriors were scored in the fourth inning when Blazich led off with a double and scored on a single off AU pitcher Natalie Zanella. Two more singles followed for the second run and a 2-0 WLC lead.

In the bottom of the inning, AU responded. Clauser and Moore singled to lead off the inning and each moved up on a sacrifice bunt from Cahill. With two outs, Clauser scored on a passed ball but the inning ended on a ground out from Huebner.

Each team had runners in scoring position the remainder of the game but neither could manufacture a run.

In the sixth, Hartzell came on in relief of Zanella and got out of a no-out bases load jam including a strange no call on what should have been a infield fly call.

The Spartans could not score in the final innings either and would fall to Wisconsin Lutheran 2-1.

With the split, Aurora is now 21-11 overall and 15-3 in the NACC. Next action for the Spartan softball team comes on Wednesday, April 23 when they host North Central College. Game time is set for 3:00 p.m. for game one of the non-conference doubleheader at Stuart Sports Complex in Montgomery, Ill.