RIVER FOREST, Ill. -- A single run in each game was the difference between visiting Alverno College and Concordia University Chicago on Saturday in a Northern Athletics Conference doubleheader as the host Cougars won the opener, 1-0, before the Inferno took the nightcap, 4-3.

Concordia's Sami DeFord narrowly outdueled Alverno's Jamie Villalobos from the pitchers' circle for the complete-game shutout in the opener.

DeFord (1-1) allowed just two Alverno hits in her first win of the season, while Villalobos also went the distance and scattered five hits and a walk in the loss.

After five scoreless innings, the Cougars leadoff hitter came around to score after she reached on a single to right field, was pushed to second base on a sacrifice bunt and finally scored on a single down the left-field line. The go-ahead hit was just out of reach of Alverno third baseman, Megan Rossi's outstretched glove.

Stef Wilmore, Alverno's all-time doubles leader, added one more to her career total with a leadoff two-bagger in second inning. The only extra-base hit of the game moved the senior catcher to fourth on the NAC's all-time list with 42 career doubles.

The Inferno's other hit in the game was in the fifth inning on a single up the middle by Rossi.

Alverno (7-3, 1-1 NAC) scored first in game two as Lauren Colette sent home Emily Ortner, who reached earlier in the second inning after being hit by pitch on a full count.

The Cougars (4-12, 1-3 NAC) evened the game in the bottom half of the inning after the leadoff hitter came around to score.

Rossi, who was the starting pitcher for the Inferno, was relieved after 4.2 innings of work as the Cougars scored twice on four hits in the fifth inning for the 3-1 lead.

Alverno answered the next inning with three runs and retook the lead. Ashleigh Sagat doubled to right field, which scored Villalobos and Stephanie Skibba, and Wilmore followed with single to left field to plate Sagat for the go-ahead run.

Villalobos (5-3) retired the Cougars in order in the sixth and seventh which secured the road victory. The senior southpaw retired all seven batters she faced in 2.1 innings of relief work.

Concordia's Meghan Johnson (1-5) pitched 5.1 innings with three strikeouts in the loss.

Sagat, who has hit successfully in nine of the Inferno's 10 games, had her eight-game hit-streak snapped in game one, while Wilmore extended her streak to eight with a hit in each of the games today.

Alverno will host Lakeland College in the team's home-opener on Monday in a NAC doubleheader at 1 p.m. at Alverno Field.