Box Score (Game 1)
Box Score (Game 2)
AURORA, Ill. – For the second straight day, the Edgewood College softball team faced one of the top teams in the Northern Athletics Conference, Aurora University. The Eagles could not tally enough runs against tough Spartan pitching as Aurora took game one 8-1 and game two 4-2 for the sweep.
In game one, Edgewood College (8-14, 5-7 NAC) tallied a single run in the top of the first inning. Jessica Spitzer sparked a two-out rally when she ripped a double to left field. The next batter, pitcher Claire Blake, laced a single to score Spitzer and give the Eagles an early lead. Edgewood College then loaded the bases with back-to-back walks, but could not push across any more runs as Anna Snyder, the Spartan pitcher, stuck out the final batter of the inning to end the threat.
In the bottom of the first, Blake struck out the first batter before allowing consecutive singles. She then struck out the final two hitters to keep the score at 1-0 in favor of the Eagles. In the game, Blake threw four and one-third innings and compiled those three strike outs while giving up eight runs.
The Spartans (21-4, 13-1) evened the score in the bottom of the second inning when pinch hitter Stephanie Lynch ripped a double that scored pinch runner Miranda Murley.
The Eagles threatened to score in the fourth inning as Colleen Joyce lead off the inning with a single and was sacrificed to second by Rachel Elliott. Nevertheless, Snyder got a strike out and induced a pop out to end the threat.
Aurora took the lead in the bottom half of the fourth as they exploded for five runs. The big blows came from Tristan Wilcox who ripped a two-run single and Briana Martin who drove in two more runs with a double. The Spartans tacked on a couple insurance runs in the fifth inning to take a commanding 8-1 lead.
Edgewood College tallied a pair of hits over the final two innings, but they could not get to Snyder as she only allowed the one run on six hits and struck out 10 hitters in the 8-1 Spartan victory.
Joyce and Karmen Dorshorst paced the Eagle offense as Dorshorst went 2-for-4 in the contest while Joyce was 2-for-2 with a walk. In the circle, Andrews relieved Blake and threw two-thirds of an inning before Elliott threw the final inning for the Eagles.
In game two, the Spartans were the first to light up the scoreboard as they tallied a run in the bottom of the first inning. Leadoff hitter, Karisa Hansen singled to start the inning and later scored on a Shannon Starr bunt to give Aurora the early 1-0 advantage.
The Spartans extended that lead in the second inning as Wilcox recorded a two-run double to center field to make the score 3-0 after two innings.
However, the Eagles started to come back in the third inning as they cut the deficit to two runs. Pam Sommer and Emily Monson started the inning with back-to-back infield singles before a strike out. Then Spitzer reached base on a bunt single to load the bases. The next batter, Joyce, drew a walk to get the Eagles on the board before the Spartans pitcher, Lindsay Decker, struck out the final two batters to end the threat and keep the score at 3-1 Spartans.
Aurora added to their lead in the fifth inning when Maggie Cooper drove in Starr, who reached on an error to start the inning and the Spartans took a 4-1 lead after five innings.
After a leadoff out in the sixth inning, Elliott started a rally with a bunt single and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Elliott moved to third on an infield single by Monica Humphrey and later scored on a Sommer infield single to cut the deficit to just two runs. However, Decker got the next batter to line out and keep the score at 4-2.
Spitzer tried to spark an Eagle comeback in the seventh when she recorded a one-out single. However, Decker struck out the next batter then induced a groundout to end the game and preserve the 4-2 Spartan victory. In the game, Decker only allowed two runs and struck out eight while only walking two in seven innings of work.
For the Eagles, Blake threw all six innings and recorded three strike outs while giving up all four runs. Offensively it was Sommer that led the Eagles as she went 3-for-3 and drove in one run while scoring another run. Spitzer went 2-for-4 in the contest and has recorded at least one hit in all but one game this season.
The Eagles will return home to face Marian University on Tuesday at Ceniti Park in Verona. Edgewood College will provide live stats and live video for the 4:00 p.m. start. Links can be found on EdgewoodCollegeEagles.com.
