Box Scores - Game 1, Game 2

FOND DU LAC, Wis. (SabreAthletics.com) – The Northern Athletics Conference opener for the Marian University softball team resulted in two thrilling finishes as the Sabres and Dominican University Stars split a doubleheader at Smith Fields this afternoon, March 31.

The Sabres took game one in walk-off fashion as Aubrey O'Brien lifted a fly ball over the right fielder's head with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the eighth to record the extra-innings win. In game two, the Sabres put the tying runs at second and third, but couldn't get them home as Allie Evans made a diving catch in right field and doubled off the runner at third to end the game.

Marian moves to 6-10 overall, 1-1 in the NAC while Dominican goes to 8-10 (1-3 NAC).

The Sabres took a 2-0 lead in the second inning of game one on an Emily Boehnlein RBI double and a Emilie Jansen walk that forced in a run. The Stars got both runs back in the next half inning when Corrine Wimmer and Amanda Moran each singled home a pair of runs.

Both pitchers showed solid efforts throughout the game, including Marian's Cherise Waltz, who struck out five and walked none over eight innings of work. She allowed three runs (2 earned) in the winning effort.

The go-ahead run for the Stars in the seventh turned out to be unearned as a fielding error in left allowed Melissa Summaria to score with one out. Waltz would retire the next two batters in succession on a strikeout and a groundout back to her.

The Sabres picked up the slack in their half of the seventh as Liz Schaller doubled down the left field line to start things off. After an O'Brien sacrifice bunt advanced her to third, two batters later, Molly Sippel singled up the middle to tie the game and send it to extras.

In the eighth, the Stars threatened again, putting the go-ahead run on second in the form of Sarah Budz. Andrea Pinarski then lined a shot to center, but Schaller was there to reach up and make the leaping catch to end the inning.

In the bottom half of the eighth, Schaller would step to the plate with runners on first and second. She slapped one deep in the hole at short where there was no play, loading the bases for O'Brien. The senior then took the first pitch she saw and blasted it to deep right and over the head of Evans to score Courtney Krueger for the game-winner.

In game two, Waltz toed the rubber again and put together another solid effort. The South Byron, Wis. native would throw four scoreless innings before the Stars put up a two-spot in the fifth. They would add another run in the sixth as well, erasing a 1-0 advantage the Sabres had gotten off a Jansen RBI single in the first.

Having been quiet for some time thanks to an impressive outing by Dominican's Jori Cicale, who struck out 10 and walked none in a complete game win, the Sabres mustered together one last ditch effort to make the game interesting.

Cicale retired the first batter before Ariel O'Neill came to the plate and rolled an easy grounder to third. But the third baseman couldn't handle it and it allowed the Sabres their first base runner of the frame. Boehnlein then hit a ground-rule double to left as it rolled underneath the fence, preventing O'Neill from scoring.

That set up the final sequence when Evans made a spectacular play on Schaller's blooper down the right field line, then doubled up O'Neill at third as the umpire said she failed to tag up before running home. It ended the game and the Stars escaped with their first conference win.

The Sabres will travel to Alverno College, who swept Edgewood in a doubleheader this afternoon. First pitch is slated for Noon in Milwaukee.