Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 The Dominican University softball team tightened its grip on second place in the Northern Athletics Conference (NAC) standings on Monday, as the Stars split with the Benedictine University Eagles, a perennial NAC powerhouse, taking game one 2-0 before dropping game two 17-0.
 
The Stars scored an unearned run in the top of the first of game one and then added another run as freshman Armani Procter (Chicago, Ill.) belted her team-leading fourth home run of the season with two outs in the top of the second.
 
Meanwhile, the Stars’ senior ace Emily Mahoney (Crystal Lake, Ill.) carried a perfect game into the bottom of the fifth before issuing a two-out walk.  Mahoney then struck out Ashley Parrott to keep a no-hitter intact.  However, the Eagles broke up Mahoney’s no-hit bid in the sixth as Kelly Mieszala singled up the middle with one out.
 
In the seventh, Mahoney was able to pitch around a leadoff double to preserve her seventh complete-game shutout of the season and improve to 16-4 in the circle.  In the winning effort, Mahoney allowed just three hits and one walk while striking out eight.
 
Offensively, Procter finished the game 2-for-3 at the plate with an RBI and a run scored.
 
In game two, the Eagles took the wind out of the Stars’ sail early, pushing across nine runs in the bottom of the second on six hits, four walks and two Dominican University errors.  Benedictine tacked on six more runs in the third and added the final two runs in the bottom of the fourth.  In total, the Eagles pounded out 19 hits while the Stars managed just three.
 
Mahoney, who has thrown over 70 innings in the last three weeks, was tagged with the loss, allowing three runs on five hits and one walk over the first inning-and-a-third.
 
The Stars will return to action on Tuesday, traveling to Watertown, Wis., to take on the Maranatha Baptist Bible College Crusaders in a NAC doubleheader.  The Stars then close out 2013 regular season with doubleheaders against Alverno College and Concordia University Wisconsin on Friday and Saturday respectively.