After completing the 2015 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference regular season with a perfect 22-0 record, the first in NACC history, the Aurora University softball team opened the NACC Tournament as the No. 1 seed on Thursday, April 30 at Alverno College. AU played come from behind ball on numerous occasions to defeat No. 5 Dominican University 6-5.

AU fell behind early as Dominican scored one run in each of th first two innings to lead the Spartans 2-0. The Spartan did threaten in the bottom of the second, picking up thre hits but a double play limited the scoring chance for AU.

In the third, a lead-off double from NACC Position Player of the Year Mandey Shrader ignited the Spartans as she would score on a sacrifice fly from NACC Freshman of the Year Larkin Langston. AU then tied the game in the fourth on a lead-off home run from Amie Raynor.

But the AU lead was short lived as Dominican got three hits and were aided by a Spartan error to push across the go ahead run on NACC Pitcher of the Year Vanessa Hartzell. As they had done the previous two innings, the Spartan offense went to work and this time took advantage of some Dominican miscues, two to be exact. When the inning was over, AU had a 4-3 lead.

Not to be out done and continuing the see-saw battle, Dominican scored twice in the fifth with a lead-off walk that was followed by  home run. Heading to the bottom of the sixth, AU trailed 5-4.

All it took was seven pitches into the bottom of the sixth for AU to regain the lead. Shrader led off with a home run on a 2-2 count and was followed quickly qith a home run from Logan Cahill, the eventual game winning run sailed over the left center field fence.

Hartzell needed only seven pitches herself when she stepped back into the circle in the seventh inning. Two ground outs and a strikeout, and the Spartans were victorious 6-5. She earned her 16th win of the season, battling Dominican while allowing nine hits and striking out three.

With the win, AU is 33-6 overall. Next action for the Spartan softball team comes on Friday, May 1, 2015 when they travel to Alverno College for the 2015 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Tournament. Game time is set for 3:00 p.m. in Milwaukee, Wisconsin against #2 Benedictine University.