DE PERE - St. Norbert College took the field at home for the first time in 2023 and split with Aurora University in a Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference doubleheader on a beautiful early April afternoon at Miron Construction Field.
The Green Knights (7-8-1, 1-2-1 NACC) won the opener 2-1 before a seventh-inning rally by Aurora gave the Spartans a 6-4 triumph in the nightcap.
St. Norbert's
Addison Race outdueled Aurora ace Madelyn Buske in the opener. Race scattered five hits with two walks and four strikeouts to get the win. She also wiggled out of two bases-loaded jams in the fifth and seventh innings.
The Green Knights scored in the third inning when
Zoe Zasada singled with two outs and
Nicole Condon followed with a triple to right-center field. Aurora got the run back in the top of the fourth. The Spartans threatened in the top of the fifth when they loaded the bases with one out, but Race coaxed a foul out and line out to end the inning.
Christina Paleka reached base on an error to open the bottom of the fifth inning, and then stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error. Race then hit a ball to center field that turned into an RBI double when it was lost in the sun. Aurora then loaded the bases with two outs in the seventh, but St. Norbert preserved the win when first baseman
Paige Diercks made a nice running catch in foul territory to end the game.
St. Norbert finished with three hits, while Aurora had five and left nine runners on base.
In the nightcap, Aurora scored three runs on four hits in the top of the second inning. The Green Knights scored four runs on five hits in the bottom of the third inning. Condon singled and
Elizabeth Stuebs hit a sinking liner to right that ended up going all the way to the corner. Stuebs circled the bases for an inside-the-park home run.
Allison Ardito followed with a single and Diercks tripled to tie the game.
Lilly Haase then singled to put St. Norbert ahead 4-3.
Those runs would hold up all the way into the top of the seventh. Aurora tied the game with a one-out sacrifice fly, and the Spartans followed with a pair of two-out hits to take a two-run lead. St. Norbert was retired in order in the bottom of the seventh.
St. Norbert finished with 11 hits. Condon, Ardtio and Haase all had two hits apiece. Stuebs took the loss in the circle, allowing 10 hits with two walks and one strikeout in 6 2/3 innings pitched.
