Softball sweeps defending NACC champs Aurora

MONTGOMERY, Ill. - For the past four seasons, Aurora University has controlled the NACC in Softball. The Spartans won the last four regular-season titles and entered Monday's doubleheader against Concordia University Wisconsin tied for first in the league with the Falcons and Benedictine. The Falcons now sit alone atop the NACC standings as they swept Aurora with wins of 5-1 and 7-0.

THE BASICS
- Final Scores: CUW 5, Aurora 1 (Game One); CUW 7, Aurora 0 (Game Two)
- Location: Stuart Sportsplex – Aurora, Illinois
- Records: CUW 23-7, 12-2 NACC; Aurora 21-9, 10-4 NACC

CUW 5, AURORA 1 (GAME ONE)
- With the game tied at one after two innings of play, the Falcons scored the final four runs for the 5-1 win in the opener. CUW plated two in the fourth, the first on a RBI single from Molly O'Connell (New London, Wis.). Carly Sobrilsky (Brookfield, Wis.) then drew a bases-loaded walk to make the score 3-1.

- The Falcons added some insurance in the top of the seventh with two more runs, completing the 5-1 win. Allison Peters (Elk Grove, Ill.) drove in a run with a sacrifice fly, while O'Connell tripled in the final run of the game, completing her three-hit effort.

- Each of the Falcons top three hitters in the lineup tallied three hits in the opener, as Maddie Zazas (Mundelein, Ill.) and Deidra Weinberger also posted a trio of hits. Zazas scored three runs and doubled in the win, while Lexi Holsten (Oshkosh, Wis.) added a double.

- Emily Brekke (Waterford, Wis.) continued her dominant run in a complete-game victory, her 13th win of the season. She allowed a run in the second but that was all the Spartans could manage against the Falcons ace. Brekke struck out three in the win.

CUW 7, AURORA 0 (GAME TWO)
- O'Connell delivered one of her best performances of the year in the circle in game two, throwing five scoreless innings. O'Connell allowed just three hits before handing the ball over to Brekke for the final six outs. Brekke struck out three over the final two frames to help the Falcons complete the sweep.

- The game was scoreless until a Zazas two-RBI single in the top of the fifth put the Falcons on top. CUW would add two more in the frame as O'Connell, who led with four hits, drove in Zazas with a double and later scored on a wild pitch, making the score 4-0.

- CUW would add three more in the seventh, the first of those a RBI single by Zazas. Zazas collected two hits and three RBI in the nightcap. Weinberger and Sobrilsky also singled in runs in the three-run seventh.

- Holsten and O'Connell each scored two runs for the Falcons, who finished game two with 10 hits.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- The Falcons did not commit an error in either game, playing a clean day defensively. CUW has not committed an error in four straight and is 9-2 this season when playing a clean game on defense.

- Entering Monday, CUW was 1-29 against Aurora since the 2001 season. The Falcons other win came during the 2009 campaign.

- CUW now sits atop the NACC standings as Benedictine, the other team tied with Aurora and the Falcons entering play Monday, split a doubleheader against MSOE.

UP NEXT
- The Falcons will host Edgewood in a NACC doubleheader Saturday. First pitch from the CUW Softball Field is set for noon.