MONTGOMERY, Ill. - St. Norbert College picked up a split in a Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference doubleheader against Aurora University at Bedrosian Stadium.

The Green Knights took a well-played Game 1 by a 2-1 score before the Spartans bounced back to take the nightcap 4-2.

St. Norbert and Aurora were locked in a scoreless battle in the opener until the Green Knights broke through with a run in the fifth inning. Christina Paleka walked and was sacrificed to second. A groundout moved Paleka to third base and Allison Ardito followed with a single to make it 1-0. The Green Knights added their second run in the sixth inning. Zoe Zasada singled with one out and Addison Race followed with a safety of her own. Karleigh Linssen's single scored Zasada for a 2-0 lead.

Aurora would load the bases with one out in the sixth inning but did not score. The Spartans then got a run in the bottom of the seventh and had two on with two out but couldn't plate the tying run.

Race was 2-for-3 and also got the complete-game win, scattering 11 hits with one walk and seven strikeouts. Meredith Manke was also 2-for-3 and Zasada was 2-for-4.

In the nightcap, St. Norbert jumped ahead early with a pair of runs in the top of the first inning. Ava Engwall and Linssen had RBI singles to put the Green Knights up a pair. Aurora answered with single runs in the first and second innings to tie the game. The Spartans added one run in each of the fourth and sixth innings to take a 4-2 lead. The Green Knights would get runners to second and third with two out in the seventh but did not score.

Engwall and Andrianna Volz were both 2-for-3 for St. Norbert, which also had a 2-for-4 game from Nicole Condon.