Spartans Defeat Storm to Advance in NCAA Tournament

AURORA, Ill. May 10, 2008 - The Aurora University Spartan softball team kept their season alive, defeating Simpson College 6-0 in an elimination game at the 2008 NCAA Division III Softball Championships in Eau Claire, WI.

Following a quick one, two, three first inning by sophomore pitcher Anna Snyder, the Spartan offense led by senior third baseman Dana Cebular went to work.

Cebular led off the bottom of the first inning with a towering home run to left field off Simpson senior pitcher Calie Hohneke. Junior outfielder Nikki Veen walked on four pitches and junior catcher Abby Young reached on an error by Storm second baseman Chelsey Benoit attempting to sacrifice Veen to second.

With Veen on second and Young on first, freshman outfielder Shannon Starr single up the middle, scoring Veen from second and giving AU a 2-0 lead. Following a Julie Beenes groundout that advanced the runners to second and third, sophomore designated player Briana Martin doubled to right center field, giving AU a solid 4-0 lead, which led to Hohneke being replaced in the circle for the Storm by sophomore pitcher Whitney Oviatt.

Oviatt came on to retire the next two Spartan hitters she would face but the Spartans had a lead they would not relinquish.

Snyder retired the Storm easily in the second and third innings and the Spartans had a tough time with Oviatt in the second and third as well.

The Storm had their best scoring opportunity in the fourth off Snyder. With one out, sophomore Kelsie Host reached on a bunt single and was quickly following by a Carlye Owens double past a diving Cebular down the third base line. Snyder got the next Storm hitter to strikeout but loaded the bases with a walk. But she held firm and showed why she was the Northern Athletics Conference Pitcher of the Year, getting Simpson catcher Jordan Osborne to pop out to second baseman Jamie Mueller, ending the Storm scoring chance.

The Spartans went down in order in the fourth and fifth inning and Snyder retired the Storm in order in the fifth and sixth innings.

That’s when the AU offense came to life once again. A Martin lead off single was following by a Mueller single. Freshman Ashley Barichello pinch ran for Martin and after sophomore outfielder Karisa Hansen, who had come on defensively for Gabby Smith in left field, laid down a sacrifice bunt moving the AU runners to second and third. The Spartans looked to Cebular once again to drive in some insurance runs and she delivered, lining a double off the right center field fence, allowing Mueller and Barichello to easily score.

The runs gave AU a 6-0 lead, which would end up as the final score. Snyder retired the Storm in order in the seventh inning and keeps the Spartans alive in the 2008 NCAA Division III Championships in Eau Claire, WI. The shutout gives Snyder her seventh of the season and improved her record to 24-4 on the season.

Offensively the Spartans had seven hits and six different players scored runs. AU was led by Cebular who went two for three with a home run, double, three runs batted in and one run scored. Martin was two for three with a double and two runs batted in and Starr was one for three with one run scored and one run batted in.

Simpson could only muster up three hits off Snyder, two coming in the fourth innings. Carlye Owens was two for three for the Storm with a double.

With the win, AU improves to 37-7 on the season, while Simpson’s season concludes with a 29-12 mark.

The Spartans will take on the winner of the noon elimination game between the University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh and Illinois Wesleyan University. AU is scheduled to play at 4:00 p.m. this afternoon, Saturday, May 10, 2008 at Gelein Field in Eau Claire, WI.