(ST NORBERT COMMUNICATIONS) – MONTGOMERY, Ill. – St. Norbert College engaged Aurora University in a pair of high-scoring games but ultimately came up just short with setbacks of 10-7 and 7-5 in a Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference doubleheader at Bedrosian Stadium.
The Green Knights (10-12, 2-4 NACC) jumped out to an early lead in the opener, scoring three runs in the top of the first inning. Allison Ardito’s RBI single scored Elly Kirst, while Ava Engwall’s sacrifice fly brought home Morgan Jarvi. Emma Schmidt’s run-scoring single plated Ardito for a 3-0 lead. St. Norbert added two more runs for a 5-0 lead in the second inning, scoring on a Jarvi single to score Molly Reichenberger and another RBI single for Ardito to bring around Jarvi.
Aurora would answer with one in the second and three in the third, with all three runs that inning scoring with two outs, to cut it to 5-4. St. Norbert scored a single run in the fourth on an Ardito sacrifie fly to score Reichenberg. The Spartans scored once in the fifth but then had a big five-run uprising in the sixth, again scoring all their runs with two outs, to take a 10-6 lead. St. Norbert got a run back on a Karleigh Linssen RBI groundout in the top of the seventh, but could not extend the game.
St. Norbert had 10 hits in the opener. Jarvi was 2-for-2 with two runs scored. Ardito was 2-for-3 with three runs batted in, while Schmidt was 2-for-4. Addison Luebke took the loss for the Green Knights in 3 1/3 innings pitched of relief.
In the nightcap, St. Norbert again led early when Kirst led off the game with a home run. Aurora then scored four runs in the bottom of the first, again all with two outs, to take a 4-1 lead. The Spartans tacked on two runs in the second inning for a 6-1 edge. The game stayed that way until Aurora got a run in the sixth inning to go up 7-1. St. Norbert made a last-ditch rally in the seventh, with Kirst driving in Magdeline Hanmann with an RBI grounder and Ardito stroking a three-run home run, but would get no closer.
The Green Knights had eight hits, with Grendel Sprong going 2-for-3. Jarvi and Hanmann each had a double in addition to Kirst and Ardito’s circuit clouts. Alyson Clark took the loss for St. Norbert.
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