The Aurora University baseball team opened the 2022 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Tournament on Thursday night against St. Norbert College. The Spartans dropped a late lead and eventually lost in 10 innings 7-6. AU now must make the long road back in elimination games to secure a NACC Tourney crown.


Game Score: St. Norbert College 7, Aurora University 6
Record: Aurora University 32-8 overall and 21-3 in the NACC,
Location: Mequon, Wisconsin


- The Spartans avoided falling behind in the first inning when Dylan White gunned down a runner trying to score following a fly out. Jett Wedekind made the tag and the game remained 0-0.
- AU got their bats going immediately with a lead-off triple from Corey Vondra and he scored on a Nico Bermeo ground out.
- The Spartans led 1-0 until the third when two hits, a walk, ht batsmen and wild pitch led to a pair of Green Knight runs and AU trailed 2-1.
- An AU error to start the fifth eventually led to an unearned run scoring for SNC and the Spartans now trailed 3-1.
- In the bottom of the sixth and with one out, Jett Wedekind put life back into the Spartans when he crushed a ball well over the left field wall but right down the line. The ball remained fair and AU trailed 3-2.
- Dylan White followed with a single and a double from Jacob Ambuel forced a Green Knight pitching change. Collin Meinert put a charge into one to right but the winds off Lake Michigan held it up but allowed White to score the tying run. Ambuel then scored on a balk to give the Spartans the 4-3 lead.
- What appeared to be a huge insurance run crossed for AU in the eighth inning. White led off with a triple and later scored on a single from Jack Seefeldt. 
- Momentum swung though as the Spartans stranded the bases loaded with no outs after the Seefeldt single. AU did lead 5-3 going to the ninth.
- SNC did carry a wave into the ninth inning, getting a triple and double to put the tying run at second with no outs. With one out, AU lifted reliever Seth Gutknecht for Skyler Yamamoto. SNC would get a single and tie the game 5-5.
- After Sam Harvey came in the game and got a ground ball, a fielding error put runners at first and second. A single followed with the go ahead run and AU trailed 6-5 going to the bottom of the ninth.
- With one out in the ninth, Wedekind struck again. He tied the game up at 6-6 with a monstrous home run to left.
- A one out error in the 10th, the fifth error of the night for the Spartans proved costly as an intentional walk and hit by pitch loaded the bases ahead of a seeing eye infield single that gave SNC a 7-6 lead.
- The Spartans went down in order in the bottom half of the 10th and fell 7-6.


HITTING
HITS: Jett Wedekind (3)
HOME RUN: Jett Wedekind (2)
TRIPLE: Corey Vondra and Dylan White (1)
DOUBLE: Jacob Ambuel (1) 
RUNS: Jett Wedekind and Dylan White (2)
RUNS BATTED IN: Jett Wedekind (2)

PITCHING:
APPEARANCES (innings): Jack Fisher (7.0), Seth Gutknecht (1.1), Skyler Yamamoto (0.0) and Sam Harvey (1.2)
DECISIONS: Sam Harvey (loss, 0-2)
STRIKEOUTS: Jack Fisher (4)

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