MILWAUKEE – Benedictine University’s Brittany Adcox wasn’t willing to let a loss to Aurora University in the previous game cost her team a shot at a conference championship.
Game Nine: No. 1 Benedictine University def. No. 4 Lakeland College, 9-1
It might be expected that Adcox (Plainfield, Ill./Central) would concentrate her energy on preventing hits and runs, but instead the Eagles’ sophomore ace used her bat to smack a 3 RBI walk-off home run, her first of the season, in the fifth inning to lift her squad to a 9-1 victory over Lakeland College, leaving a stunned group of Muskies standing in the field as their season ended with the swing of the bat.
With the victory the stage is set for Benedictine for a re-match against No. 2 Aurora in tomorrow’s championship game to decide the 2010 Northern Athletics Conference Tournament winner. First pitch is set for 11 a.m. at Alverno Field. A second game may be played at 1 p.m., if necessary, to declare a winner should Aurora drop the first game.
An impressive comeback run by Lakeland was cut short with the loss, as the Muskies battled back to win a pair of games over No. 3 Dominican University, 9-5, and No. 5 Concordia University Wisconsin, 12-6, earlier today after the Eagles handed the Muskies their first loss yesterday to knock them out of the championship bracket.
Benedictine (36-6) got to Lakeland’s pitcher, senior Sara Roberts (Escanaba, Mich.), early in the game, notching two runs in the first inning on the 2 RBI single by senior Erin Galloway (Dwight, Ill.). The Eagles increased their lead to 5-0 in the third inning with four hits, all singles, tacking on three more runs.
Lakeland finally got on the board in the top of the fourth after sophomore Leah Sheahan (Salem, Wis./Wilmot), who reached on a throwing error and advanced to third on a double by freshman Erin Henk (Hoopston, Ill.), was sent home on a sacrifice fly by senior Sam Shepeck (Gladstone, Mich.).
That would be the only run for the Muskies in the game while Benedictine answered that score in the bottom of the fourth, taking advantage of a Lakeland error, and proceeded to end the game with Adcox’s walk-off bomb in the fifth.
Adcox seemed to regain her composure quickly after a tough outing against Aurora, allowing just five hits with no earned runs in five innings of work to move to a 22-3 record.
Roberts, on the other hand, was tagged with the loss in her final collegiate game to finish at 18-8 on the season, allowing the Eagles to take 12 hits in 4.1 innings in the circle.
Benedictine’s lead-off hitter, sophomore Laura Christensen (Orland Park, Ill./Sandburg), led the drive with a perfect 3-for-3 effort in the batter’s box to finish 4-for-5 on the day while Galloway was 2-for-3 in the game with a pair of RBI.
Freshman Heather Haeflinger (Shawano, Wis./Shawano) led the Muskies with two hits in three at-bats as the squad ends its season with a 27-18 overall record.
Game Eight: No. 2 Aurora University def. No. 1 Benedictine University, 8-3
For a game between the two highest seeded teams of the tournament both possessing pitchers that historically don’t allow opposing offenses many runs, it looked as though a low-scoring pitching duel was in order between Benedictine University and Aurora University in the eighth game of the Northern Athletics Conference Tournament at Alverno Field.
To the surprise of many onlookers, Aurora’s bats caught fire in the first inning to put up six runs on four hits on the Eagles’ ace pitcher, sophomore Brittany Adcox (Plainfield, Ill./Central), who allowed only two hits in seven innings against Lakeland College yesterday.
From that point on the Spartans (34-7) kept their foot on the gas pedal to snag the 8-3 victory over Benedictine behind more solid offense and the pitching of senior Anna Snyder (Grayslake, Ill.). Snyder, who was recently named the NAC Player of the Year, gave up three runs in the third inning but allowed none in any other frame.
The Spartans’ freshman Brooke Spencer (Orland Park, Ill./Carl Sandburg) claimed the first two RBI of her squad’s stellar six-run first inning with a double followed immediately by a 2 RBI single by freshman Coryn Hill (Fox Lake, Ill./Grant). With two outs on the board, junior Caitlyn Clay would step up to blast a 2 RBI shot to right field to finish off the inning’s scoring drive on a high note.
The Eagles made a run at closing the gap on Aurora’s lead in the third inning with three runs on two hits, beginning with a first-pitch solo shot by senior Aimee Mahoney (Gardner, Ill./Gardner-South Wilmington). The Eagles then proceeded to load the bases on Snyder with two outs by way of two walks and a single, bringing up Erin Galloway (Dwight, Ill.), who also walked for a RBI. Snyder managed to ward off any further damage in the inning, coaxing Adcox into a groundout for the final out of the frame.
Adcox, who carried a 1.44 ERA heading into the tournament, recovered sufficiently to throw four scoreless frames until freshman Tristan Wilcox (Lafayette, Ind./McCutcheon) smashed her ninth home run of the year, good for two RBI.
The two runs helped secure the win for the Spartans, who handed Adcox, the newly-dubbed NAC Pitcher of the Year, a rare loss for just her third defeat of the season. The Eagles’ ace allowed 10 hits and eight earned runs in seven innings and also racked up eight strikeouts.
Snyder allowed just four hits in her seven inning stint in the circle, fanning six while giving up a rare seven walks.
Benedictine will now face No. 4 Lakeland College in today’s final game while Aurora advances to Sunday’s championship game, set for an 11 a.m. first pitch.
Game Seven: No. 4 Lakeland def. No. 5 Concordia Wisconsin, 12-6
Providing further proof of their ability to score in bunches with this season’s roster full of power-hitters, No. 4 Lakeland College eliminated its second opponent of the day, downing fifth-seeded Concordia University Wisconsin by an emphatic 12-6 margin.
Not only did the Muskies’ hitters send four balls screaming over the fence, they also turned the Falcons’ bullpen into a revolving door by burning through four Concordia arms. Lakeland also racked up 14 hits in the game and twice put five runs on the board in a single inning to account for the bulk of their scoring.
Senior pitcher Sara Roberts (Escanaba, Mich.) enjoyed a dream outing both in the circle and in the batter’s box, spreading seven hits throughout her six innings pitching while notching two of the Muskies’ four home runs to pick up two RBI.
The Falcons, who close out their season at 23-20, looked poised to put up a fight after tagging Lakeland starting pitcher, freshman Erin Henk (Hoopston, Ill.), with four runs on three hits although none of them were earned as a result of two fielding miscues. Roberts came to the rescue in the second inning to put up four scoreless frames until finally allowing one run in the sixth and seventh innings.
Senior KC Blahnik (Gladstone, Mich.) helped the Muskies come right back with a lead-off solo homer, her second in as many at-bats as she notched a bomb in her previous time up to the plate against Dominican. Blahnik got her team started again in the third inning with a lead-off double, scoring after hits by freshman Heather Haeflinger (Shawano, Wis.) and senior Chelsea Coenen (Wrightstown, Wis.). Roberts then stepped to the plate to lace her first shot to the yard of the game. Sophomore Alyssa Nelson (Germantown, Wis.) notched a double good for an RBI to register the squad’s fifth hit for the fifth run of the inning, forcing Concordia to retire their starter, sophomore Danielle Burke (Burlington, Wis./Waterford), for the game and reach for the bullpen.
The Muskies were no more kind to reliever Ashley Draeger (Scandinavia, Wis./Iola Scandinavia), although the junior did pull the Falcons out of the third inning with a strikeout. After Draeger pitched through the fourth inning successfully, Roberts cracked her second homer followed by a double by Henk to force sophomore Sheri Weidner (Mt. Prospect, Ill.) to take over in the circle.Weidner didn’t have much better luck, surrendering a 2 RBI bomb to senior Sam Shepeck (Gladstone, Mich.), her first home run of the season, in the first batter she faced.
Lakeland then loaded the bases and forced another pitching change to senior Jenna DiMaggio (San Diego, Calif./Our Lady of Peace) after Weidner walked in the Muskies’ fourth run of the frame. DiMaggio walked the first batter she faced for Lakeland’s final run of the inning before finding a way out of the inning.
Concordia answered back with a run in the sixth and seventh innings, but it wasn’t enough to catch the Muskies.
Blahnik and Haeflinger (Shawano, Wis.) each led Lakeland’s batters with three hits apiece.
Freshman Stephanie Brunette (De Pere, Wis./West) and senior Angela Ward (Cedarburg, Wis.) led the way for Concordia’s batters with two hits apiece for on RBI apiece while freshman Jannelle Schroder (Colgate, Wis./Germantown) had a 2 RBI single in the first inning.
Burke was tagged with the loss in the game, allowing seven hits and five earned runs to finish up at 13-9 on the season.
Lakeland will advance to face the loser of the upcoming contest between No. 1 Benedictine University and No. 2 Aurora University in today’s final game scheduled to start at approximately 5 p.m.
Game Six: No. 4 Lakeland def. No. 3 Dominican, 9-5
After being held to just two hits in yesterday’s 2-0 loss to top-seeded Benedictine University, Lakeland College enjoyed the return of its offensive power with two big innings in the batter’s box to notch the 9-5 victory over Dominican University, effectively eliminating them from the tournament.
The fourth-seeded Muskies are the second lower seed to hand No. 3 Dominican a loss, as No. 6 Marian University was responsible for the Stars’ other loss of the tournament.
Dominican (24-15) quickly forced the Muskies’ starting pitcher, freshman Erin Henk (Hoopston, Ill.) to snap into focus as sophomore Sarah Budz (Orland Park, Ill./Providence Catholic) notched a lead-off home run to give the Stars the early 1-0 lead.
Lakeland quickly countered with four runs in the top of the first, including the Muskies’ own lead-off bomb by freshman Leah Sheahan (Salem, Wis./Wilmot). The squad also took advantage of two fielding miscues by the Stars to pile on the runs.
Dominican threatened to close the gap with two runs in the fifth, cutting Lakeland’s lead to one run, on a home run by freshman Andrea Pinarski (Goshen, Ind./Concord) and an RBI double by sophomore Kristin Look (Frankford, Ill./Lincoln-Way East).
But, the Muskies countered with one of their patented multi-run innings to ring up five runs on four hits in the sixth to extend their lead, thanks in part to a 3 RBI shot ticketed for the space beyond the outfield fence by senior KC Blahnik (Gladstone, Mich.).
Budz responded with her second homer of the day for two more Dominican runs in an attempted late-game comeback in the seventh, but it would be the final hit allowed by Henk who went the distance in the circle to pick up her fourth win of the season in six appearances.
Freshman Heather Haeflinger (Shawano, Wis.) batted a flawless 3-for-3 in the game with one RBI to lead Lakeland while Budz led the Stars with a 3-for-4 effort and three RBI.
Sophomore Jori Cicale (Steger, Ill./Marian Catholic) was tagged with the loss in the game, allowing eight hits and seven earned runs in a 5.2 inning effort.
Lakeland will now face off against Concordia University Wisconsin for the 1 p.m. game, which will act as another elimination game.
Game Five: Concordia University Wisconsin def. Marian University, 7-2
Behind a solid offensive effort and heady pitching by senior Jenna DiMaggio, Concordia University Wisconsin defeated Marian University, 7-2, ending the Sabres’ season by handing them their second loss of the tournament in Saturday’s first game of Northern Athletics Conference Tournament play at Alverno Field.
The fifth-seeded Falcons (23-19) pounced on No. 6 Marian’s starting pitcher, sophomore Cherise Waltz (South Byron, Wis./Oakfield), tagging her for six hits and five earned runs in the first two innings. Waltz, starting her third game in as many days, couldn’t quite find the corners to keep the Falcons’ hitters at bay forcing the Sabres to bring out junior Jamie Whitehead (Kimberly, Wis.) to deal the remainder of the game.
After racking up a 6-0 lead through the first three frames with DiMaggio (San Diego, Calif./Our Lady of Peace) allowing just two hits, Marian (21-21) broke the shutout with their only two runs for the game, taking advantage of an error and an RBI single by freshman Kristyn Schmidt (Rosendale, Wis./Laconia) for the scores.
However, DiMaggio would allow no further runs through seven innings of work in the circle, dispersing seven hits with no earned runs while dealing five strikeouts. The win gives DiMaggio, who hasn’t done much pitching for the Falcons this year due to a nagging injury, her third victory of the season.
Senior Emily Bennin (Chilton, Wis.) led Concordia at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles and one RBI followed by freshman Cara Landherr (Waukesha, Wis./West) with two hits and two RBI.
Schmidt would be the batting leader for the Sabres in their final game of 2010 with two hits and one RBI while freshman Emilie Jansen (Kaukauna, Wis.) earned her squad’s other run with an RBI single for Marian’s final run.
Concordia will advance to face the winner of the next game, No. 3 Dominican University vs. No. 4 Lakeland College, at 1 p.m. this afternoon.
