VERONA – The Edgewood College Eagles hosted another Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) showdown Tuesday at Stampfl Field. They battled with the Aurora Spartans, ranked no. 17 in the latest D3baseball.com poll, in a doubleheader. The Spartans (29-9, 18-6 NACC) fended off the Eagles (18-19, 12-10) in 7-4 and 9-6 victories.
GAME ONE: AURORA 7, EDGEWOOD COLLEGE 4
- The Eagles offense took full advantage of miscues by the Spartans early. A
Kyle Prindle bunt plated a run, before a
Xavier Schreiber single to left field added on a second run in the first.
Terry Tolliver Jr. made it 3-0 after two innings with a single through the right side.
- Aurora turned the tide over the next few innings. A throwing error put them on the board in the third, while a sacrifice fly to center field tacked on another in the fourth. A single to right field and a home run to center field put the Spartans ahead 5-3 after the top of the fifth.
- Schreiber scored a run with a sacrifice fly to left field in the fifth, but a pair of strikeouts ended the Edgewood College threat in the frame. A pair of home runs added on insurance for Aurora as they clamped down on the Eagles bats.
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Jacob Carney and Tolliver each had a pair of hits. Schreiber had two RBIs. Carney added a stolen base.
- Joe Lukancic hit 4-for-4 with a double and a home run.
- CJ Cazares earned the victory with a seven-strikeout performance. Joe Pettit recorded the save with five strikeouts.
GAME TWO: AURORA 9, EDGEWOOD COLLEGE 6
- After a quiet first two innings, the Spartans opened things up in the third. A bases-loaded double down the left field line plated a pair of runs. A wild pitch followed by a pair of fielder's choices left things 5-0 Aurora after three.
- A single through the right side added on another for the Spartans in the fifth. The Eagles offense came alive in the sixth. Prindle plated a run with a grounder to second base, while Schreiber continued his solid day with a sacrifice fly to right field.
- Three more runs crossed home for Edgewood College in the seventh.
Dominic Lee singled to center field, while Tolliver added another with a single through the left side.
Brooks Kalscheur hit a triple to right center between two fielders to close the gap to 6-5.
- Aurora took advantage of errant pitching in the eighth to load the bases. A single to left center and a single to right center plated a run each. A sacrifice fly to right field tacked on another for a 9-5 lead. Carney doubled in a run to center field in the bottom of the eighth. While an
Alek Zdziarski relief appearance gave the Eagles a chance in the bottom of the ninth, but three strikeouts closed the book on the doubleheader.
- Carney, Tolliver, and Kalscheur each posted multi-hit games. Carney had a pair of doubles, while Kalscheur posted a triple.
- Adrian Ruiz earned the victory in the start, throwing five innings with six strikeouts.
- Jack Fisher earned the save, fanning three batters in the ninth inning.
- Lukancic hit 4-for-5 with a double and two RBIs.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- With other results on the day, Edgewood College clinched a berth to the 2024 NACC Tournament. The appearance is their third straight.
UP NEXT
The Eagles will host their regular season finale Friday as they wrap up their conference slate. They will host the St. Norbert Green Knights for LSM Chiropractic Senior Day. First pitch is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
