The Aurora University baseball team used strong starting pitching and timely offense in day one of the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Tournament to earn a pair of impressive wins, 9-2 over #5 Benedictine University and 8-3 over #1 Concordia University Chicago to advance in the tournament unbeaten.

GAME INFORMATION – Thursday, May 10
Game One - Boxscore | Game Two - Boxscore
Game One Score: #4 Aurora University 9, #5 Benedictine University 2
Game Two Score: #4 Aurora University 8, #1 Concordia University Chicago 3
Records: Aurora University (28-12)
Location: Mequon, Wisconsin - Kapco Park

SPARTAN HIGHLIGHTS - GAME ONE
- The Spartans came out hitting as the home team in game one, getting a single from Jett Wedekind and Davis Purviance before a long ground rule double from Bryce DeSpain which scored Wedekind for a 1-0 lead.
- With a 1-0 lead, AU starter and newly named NACC Pitcher of the Year Jacob Stockman was dominant early. He retired the first 13 Benedictine hitters he faced, not allowing his first hit until the fifth inning.
- The game remained 1-0 until the bottom of the sixth when the AU offense came to life in a big way.
- A lead-off triple from Bryce DeSpain got the inning started and he scored on a Cale Sparks single. That single was followed by a Paul Dobravec single and a ground rule double by Colin Rivard. AU led 3-0 and forced a BU pitching change.
- BU was able to get out of the inning and scored on back to back doubles in the seventh to make the score 3-1.
- The Spartans added runs in the seventh themselves. Purviance and DeSpain singled before fly outs from AJ Gill and Sparks allowed Purviance to score. A single by Rivard would score DeSpain later in the inning and AU now led 5-1.
- BU scored an unearned run on Stockman in the eighth and the Spartans led 5-2.
- A four run bottom of the eighth put the game out of touch in the Spartans favor. Five singles including a two-run single by Nick Mathey pushed the AU lead to 9-2.
- Stockman took care of business in the ninth to earn his ninth win of the season.
- The win gave AU Head Coach Adam Stevens his 100th of his fourth year at AU.

SPARTAN HIGHLIGHTS - GAME TWO
- AU and CUC were scoreless through the first three innings with the Spartans flashing the leather on defense early, turning a double play and Jett Wedekind threw out a would be base stealer.
- In the fourth the Spartan offense came to life the second time through the order. Wedekind led off with a single and following a walk to Jeff Mayes and error on a sacrifice bunt by Davis Purviance, AU had the bases loaded. Bryce DeSpain was then hit by a pitch and AJ Gill walked to allow Wedekind and Mayes to score. Purviance scored on a double play and when Cale Sparks had the second single of the inning that scored DeSpain, AU led 4-0, shocking the NACC Tournament crowd that wasn't Spartan supporters.
- The score remained 4-0 through six innings as AU starting pitcher Will King kept the highly touted CUC offense off balance.
- In the top of the seventh, Colin Rivard welcomed a new CUC pitcher with a lead-off double. Rivard would score with two outs on a wild pitch. The wild delivery hit the brick wall and careened back to the CUC catcher but the ball was bobbled allowed the speedy Rivard to score without a play.
- King handled a one out jam in the bottom of the inning, getting a strikeout and lazy fly out with runners on second and third.
- As they had done in game one, the Spartans continued to attack on offense late in the game. DeSpain led off with a walk and after moving to second on a Gill single, Christian Carrera ran for him. Sparks moved the runners on a sac bunt before Dobravec singled to drive in Carrera. Rivard then executed a beautiful suicide squeeze with Gill scoring easily and AU led 7-0.
- In the bottom of the inning CUC quickly had runners on first and third with no outs. King got three straight ground balls as the defense worked behind him and after eight innings, AU led 7-1.
- In the ninth, Wedekind led off with a single and Mayes walked. Cole Davis then singled with one out to load the bases. All three runners moved up with Wedekind scoring the Spartans eighth run of the game on a wild pitch. Heading to the bottom of the ninth and needing just three outs, AU led 8-1.
- The first two Cougars reached in the ninth and AU went to Nick Mathey in relief of King. Mathey got the Spartans out of the inning despite two CUC runs scoring but the Spartans were victorious 8-3.
- The win by AU marked the first time that CUC had lost in the NACC Tournament (12-0) since the Spartans beat CUC in the NACC Tournament Final in 2012.

SPARTAN LEADERS:
HITTING
HITS: Bryce DeSpain and Jett Wedekind (4) 
TRIPLE: Bryce DeSpain (1)
DOUBLE: Colin Rivard and Bryce DeSpain (2) and Paul Dobravec (1)
RUNS: Bryce DeSpain and Jett Wedekind (4) 
RUNS BATTED IN: Colin Rivard, Paul Dobravec and Cale Sparks (3)

PITCHING:
APPEARANCES (innings): Jacob Stockman (9.0), Will King (8.0) and Nick Mathey (1.0)
DECISIONS: Jacob Stockman (win, 9-2) and Will King (win, 6-0)
STRIKEOUTS: Jacob Stockman (3) and Will King (1)
 
UP NEXT