The Aurora University Spartan baseball team returned to action in the 2016 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Tournament after a day off due to a rain postponement. Saturday would be the Spartans final day of the 2016 season as they fell in the opener 2-0 to Concordia Chicago before losing a late lead to MSOE and lost 8-6 in game two.

NORTHERN ATHLETICS COLLEGIATE CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT
GAME ONE INFORMATION – Saturday, May 14, 2016
Score: Concordia University Chicago 2, Aurora University 0
Records: Aurora University (24-18) vs. Concordia University Chicago (31-11)
Location: Mequon, Wisconsin. – Kapco Park
Game Time: 1:59
Weather: 43 degrees, partly sunny; Winds - WNW@12
 
SPARTAN STARTING LINE UP:
1. #4 Jeffrey Mayes  - SS
2. #12 Jeff Woods - 3B
3. #30 Dillon Popovich - 1B
4. #11 Adam Lipscomb - 2B
5. #14 Cole Davis - DH
6. #6 Nick Turner  - RF
7. #9 Jeff LaPage - C
8. #31 Nicholas Mathey  - LF
9. #2 Ryan Rybakowski  - CF
10. #27 Jacob Stockman - pitcher
 
SPARTAN HIGHLIGHTS
Nick Turner was two for three to lead the AU offense which managed seven hits.
Jacob Stockman tossed a complete game, limiting Concordia to seven hits and two runs.
AU had base runners on in seven of the nine innings but could not manage to manufacture a run.

HOW IT HAPPENED
- Both teams left base runners stranded in the first few innings including AU leaving them loaded in the third.
- Concordia scored their two runs in the fourth, courtesy of a pair of two out walks, a wild pitch and a single to score two.
- AU got their first two on in the ninth with no outs but the Concordia closer managed to get out of the jam.

SPARTAN LEADERS:
HITS: Nick Turner (2)
 
NORTHERN ATHLETICS COLLEGIATE CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT
GAME TWO INFORMATION – Thursday, May 12, 2016
Score: Milwaukee School of Engineering 8, Aurora University 6
Records: Aurora University (24-19) vs. Milwaukee School of Engineering (20-19)
Location: Mequon, Wisconsin. – Kapco Park
Game Time: 2:31
Weather: 42 degrees, cloudy; Wind - W@19
 
SPARTAN STARTING LINE UP:
1. #4 Jeffrey Mayes  - SS
2. #12 Jeff Woods - 3B
3. #30 Dillon Popovich - 1B
4. #11 Adam Lipscomb - 2B
5. #14 Cole Davis - DH
6. #6 Nick Turner  - RF
7. #8 Mike Cherven - C
8. #31 Nicholas Mathey  - LF
9. #2 Ryan Rybakowski  - CF
10. #1 Tyler Findlay - pitcher
 
SPARTAN HIGHLIGHTS
Ryan Rybakowski was two for three with a double, two runs scored and one run batted in.
Jeffrey Mayes was two for four with one run scored and one run batted in.
Adam Lipscomb was two for four with a double and one run scored.
Jeff Woods was one for three with one run batted in.

HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Spartans scored in the first inning on a single from Jeffrey Mayes and he scored when Dillon Popovich reached on a muffed catch by the MSOE first baseman.
- MSOE tied the game in the bottom of the first with a run on two singles.
- A lead-off walk in the fifth by Nicholas Mathey followed his stealing second and he would score on a single by Mayes.
- MSOE once again answered the Spartan score in the bottom of the inning to tie the game 2-2.
- AU's Adam Lipscomb led off the sixth with a double, moved to third on an out and scored on a wild pitch.
- The Spartans added another run in the seventh. Ryan Ryabkowski singled and scored one batter later on a single from Jeff Woods. AU went on to load the bases but left them stranded.
- AU added a pair of runs in the eighth, aided by two walks, two hit by pitch and a double from Rybakowski. AU seemed to have a solid 6-2 lead.
- In the bottom of the eighth though, the walks and hit by pitch that aided AU in the top of the inning came around to hinder the Spartan pitchers. Three singles and a walk scored one run before two walks and a hit by pitch allowed MSOE to tie the game. After a second out was recorded, MSOE had a single that scored two more runners for an 8-6 lead over the Spartans.
- AU was set down in order in the ninth and fell 8-6.

SPARTAN LEADERS:
HITS: Jeffrey Mayes, Adam Lipscomb and Ryan Rybakowski (2)
DOUBLE: Adam Lipscomb and Ryan Rybakowski (1)
RUNS: Ryan Rybakowski (2)
RUNS BATTED IN: Dillon Popovich, Jeffrey Mayes, Jeff Woods and Ryan Rybakowski (1)

UP NEXT
The AU baseball team has the 2016 season come to an end in the NACC Tournament with a record of 24-19.