GAME 1 | GAME 2

AURORA, Ill. - The Benedictine University baseball team split with rival Aurora University on Sunday afternoon in Northern Athletics Conference action, winning game one 12-1 but falling in the nightcap 13-11. 

Kevin Crowley allowed just five hits and had five strikeouts in 7.0 innings on the mound. At the plate, Jack Holden led the Eagles offensively going 3-5 with a double a triple and three runs scored.

Benedictine (19-5, 10-8 NAC) got on the board early scoring a run in the first inning. After two scoreless innings the Eagles used a five-run fourth inning to take a 6-0 lead. In the fifth, BenU added one run and took a 12-0 lead in the sixth after scoring five more runs.

Aurora (23-9, 14-3 NAC) scored their lone run in the bottom of the sixth but it wasn't enough as the Eagles went on to win 12-1.

In game two, it was the Spartans who scored first, going up 1-0 after the first. The Eagles answered back with two runs of their own in the second but AU tied the game at two in the bottom of the frame. In the third, Aurora scored four runs off of three hits and one BenU error. Their offense did not stop there, scoring four more runs in the fourth to take a 10-2 lead.

Benedictine began to chop at the AU lead, scoring a run in the fifth and three runs in the sixth that included a homerun from Dan Zust to come within four. After both teams were scoreless in the seventh, the Eagles scored three runs in the eighth off of three hits but Aurora answered right back with two runs in the bottom of the frame.

In the ninth, the Eagles scored two runs after a sac fly from Holden and a single from Hendricks but it wasn't enough as Aurora held on for the 13-11 win.

Mark Belcastro received the loss for the Eagles. At the plate, Zust was 3-4 with two RBI and Higgins was 3-5.

The Eagles are back in action on Tuesday afternoon when they travel to Marian University for a 2:00 pm doubleheader.