The Aurora University softball team began the northern portion of the 2015 schedule with a doubleheader sweep of Wheaton College, winning 5-2 and 8-7 (6 innings). The doubleheader, originally scheduled to be at home for AU was moved to Wheaton with the Spartans serving as the home team due to unplayable field conditions at the Stuart Sports Complex.

Game One

Aurora University  5, Wheaton College  2

AU got the opening game of the doubleheader started by manufacturing a run in the bottom of the second inning. Amie Raynor reached on an error and moved around the bases scoring on a rbi ground out by Taylor Moore.

With a lead, AU pitcher Vanessa Hartzell held Wheaton in check, not allowing a hit over the first four innings. The Spartans then added two more runs in the third behind a double from Mandey Shrader and single from Logan Cahill in the inning with Cahill and Natalia Szyller scoring runs.

Shrader and Cahill were key to the Spartans fourth run in the bottom of the fifth with Shrader reaching on a walk and stealing second, Cahill singled and Shrader scored when Larkin Langston reached on a fielders choice.

After Wheaton scratched across one run in the top of the sixth, the Spartan offense got it right back in the bottom of the inning. Dani Bestwina scored the run on a squeeze play off the bat of Lauren Huebner. Bestwina was running for Vanessa Wegner who led off the inning by reaching by a walk.

Hartzell would surrender one run to Wheaton in the top of the seventh but held on for her third win of the season. She scattered four hits while striking out three in the win.
 

Game Two

Aurora University  8, Wheaton College  7 (Game ended after 6 innings due to darkness)
 

Game two started much differently for the Spartans as Wheaton tallied an unearned run off starter Natalie Zanella in the top of the first. AU would get the run back to tie the game in the bottom half of the inning. Shrader led off with a single and with two outs, back to back singles from Stephanie Starr and Raynor to score Shrader.

The top of the third inning was an inning the Spartans will like to forget. Wheaton scored five times on four hits, two walks and one error with freshman Britni Wilson also coming on in relief of Zanella. Going into the bottom of the third, AU trailed 6-1. Wheaton then added another run in the top of the fourth inning with three more hits.

Trailing by six going into the bottom of the fourth, the Spartans began their comeback efforts. Starr led off the inning with a single and with one out Wegner singled. After a passed ball and fly out for the second out of the inning, freshman Megan Nerger singled down the left field line scoring Starr and Szyller who was again running for Wegner. Nerger scored one hitter later on a triple from Huebner. A Wheaton pitching change followed and Shrader then walked before Cahill singled to score Huebner. Langston would ground out to end the inning but the Spartans had scored four times to put themselves right back in the game at 7-5.

Both teams would strand two runners on base in the fifth inning which also saw the daylight start to significantly lessen. AU Head Coach Mike McKenzie went back to his bullpen and game one winner Vanessa Hartzell. Hartzell struck out the side in order to bring the AU bats back to the plate.

In what would end up being the final at bat of the game due to darkness, the Spartans stepped to the plate and found themselves in dire straights with two outs and Huebner on second after reaching on a walk to lead off the inning. But with two outs, the Spartans came to life. Three consecutive singles from Langston, Starr (scored Huebner) and Raynor (scored Langston) tied the game up at 7-7. Wegner walked to load the bases and with Moore at the plate, Starr scored on a wild pitch for the eventual winning run. After Moore struck out to end the inning, the game was ended due to darkness and an 8-7 Spartan win.

Hartzell collected her second win of the day to improve to 4-2 on the season. In her one inning of work, she had three strikeouts.
 

With the doubleheader sweep, the Spartans are now 7-3 overall. Next action for the Spartan softball team comes on Tuesday, March 24, 2015 when they play host Hope College. Game one of the non-conference doubleheader is set for 3:00 p.m. at the Stuart Sports Complex in Montgomery, Illinois.