FOND DU LAC, Wis. (SabreAthletics.com) – The Marian University softball team secured the No. 4 overall seed in the Northern Athletics Conference tournament with a doubleheader split against Aurora University in the regular season and home final and Fight Against Breast Cancer Day at Smith Fields this afternoon, April 29.
The Sabres ended a 17-game losing streak to the Spartans in the all-time series with a 4-1 opening game win, led by
Cherise Waltz's outstanding effort in the circle. On the brink of a getting swept, Aurora battled back with a seven-run sixth inning in game two to erase a three-run deficit and pull out the 10-5 win for the split.
Marian improved to 20-18 on the season, 15-9 in NAC play, while Aurora moved to 25-15 (20-4 NAC).
The Sabres rose to the challenge during the past two days to split with the top two teams in the conference, Benedictine and Aurora, at home.
In game one this afternoon, Aurora scored a first-inning run to take an early lead, but it was all they were able to muster offensively as Waltz baffled hitters throughout.
In her final home game, the senior allowed just the run on six hits and struck out five while walking none in a complete-game win over the Spartans.
Her offense provided her enough support with back-to-back two-run innings in the fourth and fifth innings.
Courtney Krueger drove in a pair in the fourth with a double that scored
Nikki Ponticelli and
Molly Sippel. Sippel then doubled home
Emilie Jansen and
Aubrey O'Brien in the fifth to account for the 4-1 win.
In game two, the Sabres were aiming for the sweep when they built a 5-2 lead in support of
Brooke Koechell, who earned a complete-game victory over NAC regular champion Benedictine yesterday.
After Aurora scored a run in the first inning of game two,
Emily Boehnlein, who was also making her final start at home, homered to lead off the second inning and tie the game at 1-1.
In that same inning,
Daniele Gerth gave Marian the lead with a run-scoring single to left.
The Spartans would tie it with a run in the third before the Sabres scored three times in the fourth. Gerth drew the bases loaded walk before Krueger and O'Brien each singled home a run to make it 5-2.
After cutting the deficit to 5-3 with a run in the fifth, Aurora broke things open in the sixth with a seven-run rally to take a 10-5 lead, which is how the game would end.
Nonetheless, the Marian bats came to life in the two-game set and couldn't have picked a better time than in the games leading up to the NAC tournament.
Marian will serve as the No. 4 seed and take on fifth-seeded Lakeland in the first game of the tournament Thursday, May 3, at 3 p.m. at Alverno Field in Milwaukee, Wis., home of host Alverno College.
