Softball drops NACC Tournament tilt with top-seeded Aurora

MILWAUKEE – On Friday at the Northern Athletics Collegaite Conference Softball Tournament, the final two unbeaten teams in the field met up as Concordia University Wisconsin took on top-seeded Aurora. The Falcons ran into NACC Pitcher of the Year Vanessa Hartzell, and she lived up to her billing, as CUW dropped a 3-1 contest. The Falcons will now have to win three times on Saturday to capture a NACC Tournament title.

THE BASICS
- Final Score: Aurora 3, Concordia Wisconsin 1
- Location: Alverno Field – Milwaukee
- Records: Concordia Wisconsin 26-16; Aurora 32-10

HOW IT HAPPENED
- It ended up being a pitcher's duel between two First Team All-NACC selections. For the Falcons, senior Melissa Perkins (Park Forest, Ill.) allowed just two earned runs, three total, in a complete game effort. She scattered 10 hits, did not issue a walk, and struck out three.

- Hartzell tossed a three-hitter for Aurora in her 20th win of the season. She finished the game with eight strikeouts and also did not issue a free pass.

- The Falcons offense came in the fourth inning when freshman Delaney O'Keefe (Muskego, Wis.) hit her second home run of the season. The only other two hits from CUW were by junior Carly Sobrilsky (Brookfield, Wis.), who finished 2-for-3 with a double.

- Aurora scored twice in the third and once in the fourth Friday. Elaine Walker drove in the Spartans first run and finished with two hits, while Mandey Shrader and Logan Cahill each collected two hits as well.

UP NEXT
- The Falcons will need to win three games Saturday to win the NACC Tournament. They will open in an elimination game against Benedictine at 9 a.m. The winner of the opening game will take on Aurora at 11 a.m. and would need to beat the Spartans twice to capture the title.