Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 MILWAUKEE – Needing three wins today to claim their first ever Northern Athletics Conference Tournament championship, the No. 6-seeded Stars knocked off the No. 2-seeded Aurora University Spartans to reach the championship game, but fell to No. 1-seeded Benedictine University in what would be their season finale.

Against Aurora (26-17), Jori Cicale (Steger, Ill./Marian Catholic) tossed another solid game, giving up just three hits and one earned run with six strikeouts for her 13^th win of the season. She also kept the Spartans scoreless all the way through six and two-thirds innings before a solo home run made its way over the fence to ruin the Stars’ (24-21) shutout.

The Dominican bats also kept rolling from yesterday’s 12-hit performance, as they dropped 13 hits on the Spartans that led to six runs, all earned.

Erica King (Lyons, Ill./St. Joseph), Sarah Budz (Orland Park, Ill./Providence Catholic), and Amy Paolini (Lemont, Ill.) each recorded RBI singles for the Stars’ first three runs that chased the Spartan’s starter out of the circle after three innings. Emily Mahoney (Crystal Lake, Ill./South) then delivered a three-run shot over the left-center fence in the fourth to extend Dominican’s lead to 6-0 and keep momentum in the Stars’ favor.

Corinne Wimmer (Elgin, Ill./Larkin) and Melissa Summaria (Algonquin, Ill./Dundee Crown) also chipped in offensively for Dominican, going 2-4 at the plate with one double apiece, while Allie Evans (Greenwood, Ind.) contributed with three hits in four plate appearances.

But things would turn for the Stars in the championship game, as Benedictine’s NAC Pitcher and Player of the Year Brittany Adcox would keep the Stars hitless through three and two-thirds innings, while the Eagles (33-9) went off for 11 hits, which included three home runs, in that span to score all of their 10 runs.

Mahoney and King were the only Stars to record a hit in the five-inning championship contest, while Paolini drew Adcox’s lone walk.

The Stars’ championship appearance was their first since 2009, while their 24 wins matched last year’s total.