Day two of the 2023 NCAA Division III Baseball Regional Tournament ost by Aurora University at Jim Schmid Field saw the host Spartans win game two of the series and game oe of the day 9-6 and then captured game two of the day and game three of the series 4-3 in exciting fashion. After winning the opener 9-6, the Spartans were on the verge of eliminating the visitors from John Carroll in the third game of the series but needed some last at bat heroics and got them from the bat of Brenden Naylor who delivered a two-out, two-run single to win the game and begin the celebration at the Stu.


Game One Score: #5 Aurora University 9, John Carroll University 6
Game Two Score: #5 Aurora University 4, John Carroll University 3
Record: Aurora University 42-4 overall
Location: Montgomery, Illinois - Jim Schmid Field
Postgame Interview: View now


GAME ONE vs. John Carroll
- AU was the visitors in the second game of the best of five series and AU starter Justin Zimmerman struck out the side in the first inning.
- JCU threatened in the third with a single and ground rule double but Zimmerman got out of the jam scoreless.
- In the fifth the Spartans struck, batting around after the first seven reached with four walks and three singles.
- Following a JCU pitching change which didn't end the walks, AU led 4-0.
- JCU scored three times in the sixth as AU went to the pen and Sam Harvey who ended the rally with AU still leading 4-3.
- AU answered right back in the seventh, drawing five more walks and had two hits to score four more runs. A fifth run was negated despite a blatant interference call that Justin Sartori would have scored on but was ruled to not have. While the official ruling was correct, the interference between second and third slowed the ability of Sartori to score on the double from Jett Wedekind.
- JCU scored a run each in the seventh and eighth to cut the AU lead to 8-5.
- The Spartan bats added an important run in the ninth with a one-out triple from Sartori and he scored on a Wedekind sac fly.
- Spartan Carlos Rivera came on in the eighth and despite allowing a run in the ninth and the tying run reaching first, he got a pop out to second to end the game for his sixth save of the year.
- AU led the best of five series 2-0 after the 9-6 game two win.


GAME ONE vs. John Carroll
HITTING
HITS: Jett Wedekind, Tyler Patton and Josh Reinhardt (2)
TRIPLE: Justin Sartori (1)
DOUBLE: Jett Wedekind and Josh Reinhardt (1)
RUNS: Nine Spartans (1)
RUNS BATTED IN: Jett Wedekind (3)

PITCHING:
APPEARANCES (innings): Justin Zimmerman (5.1), Sam Harvey (2.0) and Carlos Garcia (1.2)
DECISIONS: Justin Zimmerman (win 10-1) and Carlos Garcia (save, 6)
STRIKEOUTS: Justin Zimmerman (8)


GAME TWO vs. John Carroll
- Both teams left numerous runners on base through the first couple innings of the third game and possible elimination game for John Carroll.
- A lead-off walk in the third produced a 1-0 lead for JCU in the top of the third.
- In the bottom of the fourth, the Spartans took advantage of some two-out luck and misfortunes by the Blue Streak defense.
- A two-out walk by Sean Rivera was followed by him stealing second. An infield single up the middle from Nico Bermeo followed but when the JCU shortstop air-mailed an attempt to throw out Bermeo despite him being steps past the base, Rivera would score and Bermeo moved to second. Bermeo scored following a pitching change and single from Jacob Ambuel. 
- AU led 2-1 going to the fifth.
- The game remained 2-1 into the eighth but not after a little controversy and heated exchange in the bottom of the seventh. After Jett Wedekind appeared to be hit by a pitch that trickled in to the plate region, it was ruled after a conference that he was not hit. He then flew out to the wall in left into a stiff wind but exchanged words with the JCU catcher before returning to the dugout due to another possible missed call of catchers interference.
- In the top of the eighth, JCU would take the lead scoring a pair of runs off starter Nick Malmberg for a 3-2 lead.
- The games biggest play to that point was made after reliever CJ Cazares entered the game and allowed a base hit. The ball was snagged by a diving Bermeo st short who fired to Sean River at third. Rivera applied the tag on a Blue Streak runner who rounded third but was caught to far off the base. The out allowed AU to remain within one at 3-2.
- Each team left a runner stranded in their next at bats, setting up the thrilling bottom of the ninth inning.
- After Jacob Ambuel led off with being hit by a pitch, JCU made a call to the pen but with the shortstop coming to the mound.
- The first batter to face the new arm was Justin Sartori who lasered a double to right for a second and third with no outs. Wedekind was intentionally walked to load the bases with no outs.
- Josh Reinhardt and Dominick Curcio hit into fielder choices to keep the bases loaded but now with two-outs and no runs scoring for Brenden Naylor.
- Naylor had entered the game in the top of the ninth as a defensive replacement and was making his first plate appearance of the series.
- On a 2-1 pitch, Naylor lined a rocket down the right field line which fell in despite a diving effort from the JCU rightfielder. Wedekind scored from third and when Reinhardt scored the winning run from second, mayhem ensued on Jim Schmid Field as the Spartans celebrated a 4-3 come from behind win and the 2023 NCAA Division III Aurora regional victory.


GAME TWO vs. John Carroll
HITTING
HITS: Josh Reinhardt and Dominick Curcio (2)
DOUBLE: Josh Reinhardt and Justin Sartori (1)
RUNS: Josh Reinhardt, Jett Wedekind, Nico Bermeo and Sean Rivera (1)
RUNS BATTED IN: Brenden Naylor (2)

PITCHING:
APPEARANCES (innings): Nick Malmberg (7.2) and CJ Cazares (1.1)
DECISIONS: CJ Cazares (win 4-1) 
STRIKEOUTS: Nick Malmberg (4)