The Aurora University baseball team played their final game of their nine-game road trip in the RussMatt Central Invitational on Saturday morning, taking on the Vikings of North Park University. AU got out to an early 3-0 lead after three innings and never looked back en route to their 10-1 victory. Julian Rosales and Joe Lukancic each totaled four hits and two RBI's for the Spartans, while Edgar Barba and Adrian Ruiz combined to pitch complete game of one run ball.


Game Score: Aurora University 10, North Park University 1
Record: Aurora University 4-7 overall
Location: Winter Haven, Florida


- AU didn't waste anytime taking an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first, as Joe Lukancic came around to score on a Brayden Gorecki sac-fly.
- An inning later, Lukancic singled through the right side to score Julian Rosales and give the Spartans a 2-0 lead.
- A couple of batters later in the second, that lead became 3-0 when Logan Riley singled home Lukancic.
- In the bottom of the fourth, Lukancic kept his hot day at the plate going with an RBI single, making the AU lead 4-0.
- North Park scored one in the top of the fifth to cut the Spartan lead to 4-1.
- AU got that one run back in their half of the fifth with a Dominick Curcio RBI single back up the middle.
- Rosal drove in Curcio later in the fifth with a run scoring single of his own to make it 6-1.
- Adrian Ruiz entered the game on the mound for AU in the sixth following five innings from Edgar Barba, as Ruiz retired the North Park side in the sixth.
- AU added an insurance run in the seventh with a Rosales RBI double.
- In the bottom of the eighth, Lukancic scored on a wild pitch before Alex Panico smacked an RBI double, giving the Spartans a 9-1 lead.
- Later in the eighth, Matthew Wash roped an RBI double of his own, which helped AU complete the 10-1 victory.
- Ruiz finished off the Vikings by only allowing one hit in his four innings pitched.


HITTING
HITS: Joe Lukancic and Julian Rosales (4)
DOUBLE: Julian Rosales (2), Joe Lukancic, Alex Panico, Matthew Washington and Dominick Curcio (1)
RUNS: Joe Lukancic (3), Julian Rosales and Dominick Curcio (2)
RUNS BATTED IN: Joe Lukancic and Julian Rosales (2)
STOLEN BASES: Ryan Buck, Alex Panico and Dominick Curcio (1)

PITCHING:
APPEARANCES (innings): Edgar Barba (5.0) and Adrian Ruiz (4.0)
DECISIONS: Edgar Barba (win, 1-0) and Adrian Ruiz (save 1)
STRIKEOUTS: Edgar Barba (8) and Adrian Ruiz (5)