The Aurora University Spartan softball team swept a NACC doubleheader with Alverno College on balmy Saturday afternoon at the Spartan Athletic Park. AU was victorious behind a pair of pitching shutouts and timely offense in winning 2-0 and 7-0.
GAME INFORMATION – Saturday, April 7
Game One - Boxscore | Game Two - Boxscore
Game One Score: Wisconsin Lutheran College 3, Aurora University 2
Game Two Score: Aurora University 6, Wisconsin Lutheran College 5
Records: Aurora University (10-6, 1-1 NACC), Wisconsin Lutheran College (6-10, 1-3 NACC)
Location: Montgomery, Illinois - Spartan Athletic Park
SPARTAN HIGHLIGHTS - GAME ONE
- AU and Alverno both threatened in the second inning but the game remained scoreless.
- In the bottom of the third, the Spartans used four singles and a sacrifice fly to score two runs and take a 2-0 lead.
- The 2-0 lead is all that AU starter
Steph Renner would need as she battled the Inferno but would not allow them to push across a run over the final four innings for her fourth win of the season.
SPARTAN HIGHLIGHTS - GAME TWO
- The AU bats came out quickly in game two.
Elaine Walker led off the bottom of the first with a triple,
Josie Bachtell walked and
Nina Tholl doubled them in for an early 2-0 lead. The Spartans would leave the bases loaded in the inning though as they were unable to blow the game open.
- AU pitcher
Britni Wilson made quick work of the Alverno hitters in the first four innings.
- In the fourth the Spartans added a run as
Taylor Dykins reached on a two-out single and scored in an
Elaine Walker double off the center field wall.
- Alverno threatened in the fifth but Wilson kept the scoreboard clean leaving a pair of Inferno runners on base.
- AU added two more runs each in the fifth and sixth innings. The fifth inning runs were courtesy of a two-out dropped pop up allowing two Spartans to score. In the sixth it was the duo of Dykins and Walker combining again to score the sixth and seventh AU runs.
- Wilson stranded two more Inferno in the seventh to earn the shutout win, 7-0.
SPARTAN DAY LEADERS:
HITTING
HITS: Elaine Walker (4)
DOUBLE: Elaine Walker (1)
TRIPLE: Elaine Walker (2)
RUNS: Elaine Walker (3)
RUNS BATTED IN: Nina Tholl (3)
PITCHING
APPEARANCES (INNINGS): Britni Wilson and
Steph Renner (7.0)
DECISIONS: Britni Wilson (win - 4-2) and
Steph Renner (win - 4-`)
STRIKEOUTS: Steph Renner and
Britni Wilson (4)
UP NEXT
Next action for the Spartan softball team comes on Sunday, April 8 when they travel to Concordia University Chicago. Game one of the doubleheader is set 12:00 p.m. in River Forest, Illinois.
