Box Score
LOVES PARK, Ill. – When elimination is on the line, opposing managers have no choice but to pull out all stops. Aurora University and Rockford College fought back and forth to the last pitch in a wild 13-10 Spartans’ victory in game five of the Northern Athletics Conference Baseball Tournament. The Spartans advanced to the championship round against Concordia University Chicago, while Regents season ends at 27-14.
Rockford College had the upper hand early building a 5-2 lead after three innings. Eric Nicholoson stroked a two-out, two-run double in the first, and Chris Brockman and Shaun Dascher drove in runs in the second. As a result, the Regents chased Spartan starter Dan McCarthy in the second inning, but that may have been a blessing in disguise for Aurora. Kyle Kapusta replaced McCarthy and held the Regents scoreless for the next three innings.
While Kapusta was holding down the Regents, the Spartans brought the bats to life. After a pair of runs in the fifth inning, Nate Peterson put the Spartans ahead to stay with a two-run single in the sixth inning. In the seventh, Matt Mulvaney roped a triple to right field which scored two more runs and extended the Spartans lead to 9-5.
Rockford College wasn’t done yet, as they rallied for three more runs in the bottom of the seventh inning. Tyler Clay drove in the third run with a bases loaded walk, but Aurora reliever Dominick Pisano got Brockman to line out to third base to end the inning.
