The Aurora University baseball team started Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference play on Saturday afternoon with a doubleheader against Wisconsin Lutheran College in the 2024 home opener at Jim Schmid Field. Behind strong starting pitching performances from both Justin Zimmerman and Jack Fisher, as well as an impressive day offensively by Joe Lukanic, the #10 ranked Spartans took both games  by a score of 2-0 (7 innings) and 12-8 (8 innings). 


Game One Score: #10 Aurora University 2, Wisconsin Lutheran College 0
Game Two Score: #10 Aurora University 12, Wisconsin Lutheran College 2 - 8 innings
Record: Aurora University 12-3 overall and 2-0 NACC; Wisconsin Lutheran College 4-11 and 0-2 NACC
Location: Montgomery, Illinois - Jim Schmid Field


Game One:
- AU saw the bases loaded in the second inning and was able to get Nik Panico across on an RBI ground out from Tyler Patton.
- The potent Spartan offense came right back in the third when Nico Bermeo led off with a triple followed by a Joe Lukancic run scoring single.
- Lukancic's RBI knock gave AU an early 2-0 lead.
- After only giving up two hits in the first two innings, AU starter Justin Zimmerman did not allow another hit until the top half of the seventh inning.
- Zimmerman worked around a double in the seventh to complete the shutout and give AU the 2-0 win.
- Zimmerman also picked up nine strikeouts in the seven inning complete game outing.

Game Two:
- Derek Angelo did not waste any time getting AU on the board in his first at-bat in the first inning by singling through the right side and bringing Bemeo home.
- The Spartans took a 3-0 lead in the second after Bermeo and Lukancic hit back-to-back RBI doubles.
- In the bottom of the third inning, Logan Riley made it 4-0 after coming around to score on a Dominick Curcio bunt.
- A few batters later in the third, Sean Rivera singled through the right side that scored Curcio for a 5-0 AU lead.
- AU starter Jack Fisher had not run into any trouble all day until the top of the fourth when the Warriors got one run across.
- After a Riley double in the fifth that moved Lukancic to third, Panico brought Lukancic home on a ground out.
- Curcio singled a batter later which gave the Spartans a 7-1 lead in the fourth.
- AU added more insurance in the fourth when Spencer Ruch hit an RBI single.
- The Spartans made it 9-1 an inning later after Riley roped an RBI single of his own.
- Lukancic collected his second RBI of game two on a run scoring single in the sixth that scored Patton and made it 10-1 AU.
- The Warriors scored one run in the seventh making it 10-2.
- Lukancic continued his strong offensive performance with his fourth hit of the game on an RBI double that made it 11-2 AU in the eighth.
- Lucas Gamble's RBI single gave that scored Lukancic gave AU the 12-2 victory in eight innings.
- Fisher finished with six strikeouts and only one earned run in six innings of work.


Game One:
HITTING
HITS: Joe Lukancic (3)
TRIPLE: Nico Bermeo (1)
RUNS: Nik Panico and Nico Bermeo (1)
RUNS BATTED IN: Joe Lukancic and Tyler Patton (1)
STOLEN BASES: Joe Lukancic (1)

PITCHING:
APPEARANCES (innings): Justin Zimmerman (7.0)
DECISIONS: Justin Zimmerman (win 3-1)

Game Two:
HITTING
HITS: Joe Lukancic (4), Nico Bermeo and Logan Riley (3)
DOUBLE: Joe Lukancic (2), Nico Bermeo and Logan Riley (1)
RUNS: Nico Bermeo (3), Joe Lukancic, Logan Riley and Dominick Curcio (2)
RUNS BATTED IN: Joe Lukancic (3) and Dominick Curcio (2)
STOLEN BASES: Nico Bermeo (1)

PITCHING:
APPEARANCES (innings): Jack Fisher (6.0), Owen Piazza and Brian Henehan (1.0)
DECISIONS: Jack Fisher (win 1-1)