The Aurora University softball team hosted another non-conference doubleheader on Thursday afternoon at the Stuart Sports Complex. The Spartans hosted the University of Chicago and split the games, losing 1-0 in game one before waking up the bats to win 12-1 in five innings in game two.

Game One
Chicago 1  Aurora 0
The only run of game one was scored in the fifth inning courtesy of a couple Spartan mishaps defensively. The Spartans did threaten in the sixth and seventh innings but stranded three runners including two in the sixth. Vanessa Hartzell was the losing pitcher, allowing six hits and one unearned run.

Game Two
Aurora  12  Chicago 1 (5 innings)
The AU offense woke up between games and exploded for 12 runs in the second and third innings to enact the mercy rule. AU senior pitcher Natalie Zanella earned the win with four innings pitched with one run and three hits allowed.

Fellow senior Vanessa Wegner got the offense rolling in the second with a one out three run home run to right center field. Logan Cahill later tripled in two runs as the Spartans batted around to score seven runs on five hits.

AU then scored five more runs in the third inning, all coming with two outs. AU hit back to back to back doubles (Lauren Huebner, Mandey Shrader and Cahill) before Larkin Langston hit a two run home run which after a pitching change by Chicago was followed by a home run from Steph Starr.

Chicago got a run in the fourth but AU coasted to the mercy rule shortened win.

With the split, AU is now 23-5 overall. Next action for the Spartan softball team comes on Saturday, April 18, 2015 when they host Dominican University in a doubleheader. Game one is set for 12:00 p.m. at the Stuart Sports Complex in Montgomery, Illinois.