The Aurora University baseball team improved to 3-0 in the 2018 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Tournament with a 7-5 victory over #3 Milwaukee School of Engineering to advance in the tournament as the only unbeaten team. The Spartans advance to Championship Sunday and must win once to earn the NACC automatic bid into the 2018 NCAA Division III Baseball Championship.

GAME INFORMATION – Saturday, May 12
Game Boxscore
Game Score: #4 Aurora University 7, #3 Milwaukee School of Engineering 5
Records: Aurora University (29-12)
Location: Mequon, Wisconsin - Kapco Park

SPARTAN HIGHLIGHTS -
- The Spartans threatened in the top of the first with two outs, Davis Purviance doubled and Bryce DeSpain walked before a long fly out from AJ Gill.
- In the second the Spartans got on the scoreboard. Paul Dobravec reached on a one out error and following an Austin Wiskow single, Dobravec scored on a Jett Wedekind single.
- In the third, Purviance got the Spartan bats rolling. He led off with a single and was followed by a DeSpain single and Gill run scoring double. Cale Sparks followed with the fourth straight hit to score DeSpain and AU led 3-0. Dobravec hit a sac fly to score Gill from third for a 4-0 lead. After Spark stole second, Wiskow singled to score Sparks and the lead was now 5-0.
- MSOE would answer with three runs in the bottom of the third, with three hits, a walk and error aiding the inning.
- The score remained 5-3 over the next two innings despite the Spartans getting runners on in each of the fourth and fifth inning.
- In the sixth the top of the order started with back to back singles from Jett Wedekind and Jeff Mayes which forced a MSOE pitching change. With one out, DeSpain and Gill were hit by pitches with Gill allowing Wedekind to score. A Sparks sac fly scored Mayes and the Spartans led 7-3.
- Pitching from both sides but dominating strike throwing from Spartan Chris Roycroft was the name of the game in the next three innings.
- Heading to the bottom of the ninth, AU led 7-3.
- Roycroft got two outs around a walk to start the ninth before three MSOE singles allowed two runs to score and the winning run stepped to the plate.
- AU Head Coach Adam Stevens called on Nick Mathey from the bullpen. Mathey came in pounding the zone and got a two strike ground out to third. Colin Rivard fired across to Paul Dobravec for the final out and the Spartans were victorious 7-5.

OUTSIDE THE BOX -
- AU advances to the NACC Tournament Championship for the first time since 2012, which the Spartans won over Concordia Chicago 6-5 in 10 innings.

SPARTAN LEADERS:
HITTING
HITS: Davis Purviance and Austin Wiskow (3)
DOUBLE: Davis Purviance and AJ Gill (1)
RUNS: Seven Spartans with one each
RUNS BATTED IN: AJ Gill and Cale Sparks (2)

PITCHING:
APPEARANCES (innings): Chris Roycoft (8.2) and Nick Mathey (0.1)
DECISIONS: Chris Roycroft (win, 4-0) and Nick Mathey (save, 2nd)
STRIKEOUTS: Chris Roycroft (2)
 
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