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Benedictine University Athletics

Schedule

OFFICIAL HOME OF BENEDICTINE UNIVERSITY EAGLES

Schedule

Composite
sb nacc champs
0
Aurora AU 32-12
3
Winner Benedictine BENU 33-14
Aurora AU
32-12
0
Final
3
Benedictine BENU
33-14
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Aurora AU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 3
Benedictine BENU 1 0 0 0 2 0 X 3 6 1

W: Haberkorn, Holly (19-6) L: Wilson, Britni (11-4)

Game Recap: Softball |

Softball Wins NACC Championship

Entering the tournament as the #3 seed, the Benedictine University softball team won six games over the last three days to win their fifth Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Championship in the last six years. The Eagles defeated Aurora University twice to become the NACC champions.

"I am beyond excited for this team," said head coach Kate Heidkamp. "We have had our ups and downs all season but every girl on this team stepped up this weekend and played their hearts out and left everything on the field. I couldn't be prouder."
 
The Eagles had a long road ahead of them as they entered championship Saturday with a loss under their belt. Benedictine first took on #2 Concordia University-Wisconsin, who the Eagles lost to on Thursday afternoon. Benedictine scored three runs in the third inning that included a Shannon Fritsche two-RBI double. Kailee Cable homered in the fifth to secure the 4-2 win and eliminate CUW from the tournament.

Having to beat #1 Aurora twice in the double-elimination tournament, Melissa Guzior picked up the win in the first game against AU, shutting out the Spartans with seven hits and two strikeouts. Benedictine would take a 1-0 lead in the second with a Melissa Stoch homerun. Breanna Sobotka scored Liz Jimenez in the sixth inning to go up 2-0 and Courtney Grasz picked up an RBI single in the seventh for the 3-0 win to force a game two.

"We knew that once we had them down we were going to be unstoppable," said Guzior. "We had so much confidence going into the second game and it paid off."
 
In the second game against Aurora, BenU took a 1-0 lead in the first inning that saw Fritsche score on a Stoch single to center field. Three scoreless innings would pass before Holly Haberkorn scored two runs on a single down the left field line to take a 3-0 lead. Kassee Johnson and Cable singled earlier in the inning.
 
In the top of the seventh, Aurora led off with a single up the middle and advanced to second on a wild pitch. With one out, Haberkorn allowed a walk before striking out the next batter. With two outs, two runners on and the count full, Haberkorn forced a fly out to left field for the 3-0 BenU win.
 
Haberkorn was 1-3 with two RBI at the plate and allowed just five hits with one strikeout on the mound. Fritsche was 1-3 with a run scored while Stoch, Cable and Johnson were all 1-3.

"We knew going into the weekend that we had to take it one game at a time," said Fritsche. "The way we came together as a team and picked each other up kept the momentum on our side. It was truly a team contribution. To end the weekend beating an incredible team like Aurora twice is something words can't describe. We're ready to keep this momentum on our side going into regionals."
 
This is the fifth time in the last six seasons that Benedictine has won the NACC Championship and advanced to the NCAA Softball Championship.
 
Benedictine will find out their fate in the NCAA Tournament on Monday morning.
 
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