A midweek battle of Top 25 Division III baseball programs was on tap at Schmid Field at the Stuart Sports Complex on Thursday afternoon. The #21 Aurora University Spartans defeated the #12 North Central College Cardinals 5-2.


Game Score: #21 Aurora University 5, #12 North Central College 2
Record: Aurora University 20-7 overall and 9-3 in the NACC, North Central College 22-8 overall 
Location: Jim Schmid Field at Stuart Sports Complex - Montgomery, Illinois


- AU fell behind the Cardinals 1-0 in the first inning.
- A one out walk in the bottom of the second proved costly to NCC as the Spartans would tie the game. Jacob Ambuel drew the walk and moved to third on a single to right from Collin Meinert. Jack Seefeldt followed with a deep flyout to right to score Ambuel with the tying run.
- NCC took back the lead in the fifth with a solo home run but the games momentum shifted later in the inning.
- A walk after the homer was followed by a double to center field. Spartan Corey Vondra threw a strike to Meinert who threw a perfect one hop relay to catcher Jett Wedekind who put the tag on a sliding Cardinal. The bang bang play went AU's way and the game remained 2-1 NCC.
- The Spartans had an answer on offense in the bottom of the inning. Sean Rivera drew a walk to lead off and went to third on a single from Vondra. Nico Bermeo was hit by pitch to load the bases and force a pitching change. Justin Sartori tied the game with a rbi hit by pitch which scored Rivera. 
- After the first out of the inning, Dylan White was hit by a pitch but the home plate umpire called the pitch a foul ball. White struck out one pitch later after a long delay in the game as the umpires conversed to make a decision.
- AU wasn't done though with Ambuel lacing a single to right to score Vondra and Bermeo with the go ahead runs.
- After five innings, AU led NCC 4-2.
- The Spartans made numerous loud outs in the contest with one coming in the bottom of the sixth. With two on and two outs, Sartori flew out to the wall in right ending a scoring chance for the home team.
- White got his revenge in the seventh, hitting a solo home run to put the Spartans ahead 5-2.
- In the eighth, the Cardinals got back to back singles on reliever Seth Gutknecht to start the inning. But Gutknecht got help from his defense when he got a ground ball to Rivera at thrd. Rivera stepped on the bag and fired across for the 5-3 GDP and ending the potential big inning from the visitors.
- Jack Fisher came on to get the save in the ninth, his first of the season with a strikeout of NCC outfielder Luke Lehnen.
- AU was victorious in the border battle 5-2. 


HITTING
HITS: Corey Vondra (3) and Collin Meinert (2)
HOME RUN: Dylan White (1)
RUNS: Jett Wedekind and Justin Sartori (1)
RUNS BATTED IN: Jacob Ambuel (2)

PITCHING:
APPEARANCES (innings): Anthony Touhy (5.0), Seth Gutknecht (3.0) and Jack Fisher (1.0)
DECISIONS: Anthony Touhy (win, 3-0)
STRIKEOUTS: Anthony Touhy (6), Seth Gutknecht (2) and Jack Fisher (1)

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