The Dominican University softball team secured their seventh straight bid to the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) Softball Tournament on Friday evening, sweeping a doubleheader from the Concordia University Wisconsin Falcons in Forest Park. With the wins, the Stars move to 25-11 overall and 13-7 in the NACC.
The Stars are slated to close out NACC regular season play on Saturday, hosting the MSOE Raiders for a noon doubleheader before heading to South Bend, Indiana, for the Stars' final non-conference action of the season with a doubleheader at St. Mary's College (IN) on Sunday.
Game One: Dominican 2, Concordia Wisconsin 1 Freshman
Michele Behrens (Frankfort, Ill.) moved to 10-4 on the year in the circle, tossing her team-leading seventh complete game of the season. The rookie southpaw surrendered just one run on seven hits and one walk, using 80 pitches in the winning effort.
The Falcons lone run off Behrens came in the top of the fifth when the Falcons strung together three hits around a sacrifice bunt. However, Behrens limited the damage, getting the last two hitters to pop out, stranding runners at second and third.
In total, Behrens stranded six runners, lowering her earned run average to 2.54 in 96 1/3 innings of work.
The Stars' offense collected eight hits and got to work early behind Behrens. After stranding runners at second and third with a pair of hits in the bottom of the first,
Alyssa Domico (Naperville, Ill.) sparked a two-out rally with a single to right center in the second.
Allie Evans (Greenwood, Ind.) followed with a single down the right field line putting runners at the corners. With
Ashley Rea (Lockport, Ill.) at the plate, Evans took second and a throwing error by the catcher allowed Domico to cross for the first run of the game.
After the Falcons evened the score in the top of the fifth, the Stars pulled back ahead in the bottom of the sixth.
Marissa Burns (Shorewood, Ill.) led off the frame with a double to the gap in right center. After
Kaitlyn Tripp (Imperial, Mo.) laid down a sacrifice bunt to push Burns to third,
Armani Procter (Chicago, Ill.) pushed across the go-ahead run with a sac fly to center, plating Burns.
Behrens was able to pitch around an error in the seventh to close out the victory, in a game that lasted just an hour and six minutes.
Burns, Rea and Domico all had two hits for Dominican in the win.
Game Two: Dominican 7, Concordia Wisconsin 6 Trailing 6-0 heading into the bottom of the sixth, Dominican rallied for three runs in the sixth to cut the Falcons' lead in half before plating four runs in the bottom of the seventh to walk-off with the sweep.
Burns ignited the three-run sixth, belting her second home run of the season after a bunt single by
Sara Hausl (St. Charles, Ill.) to pull the Stars within 6-2. Later in the inning, Domico singled through the left side of the infield to plate Tripp who reached on a Falcons' error.
After
Olivia Babusci (Park Ridge, Ill.) pitched around a leadoff single in the top of the seventh, the Stars' bats got back to work. Evans started the inning with a single through the left side of the infield. After a strikeout and groundout, Burns singled to center to score Evans. Tripp followed with a single to right with Burns coming around to score when the Falcons' right fielder had trouble picking the ball up. The Falcons' intentionally walked Procter to get to
Catherine Conte (Elmwood Park, Ill.) with the tying run out at second. Conte drove a single through the right side, scoring Tripp with Procter following for the winning run, when the throw in from the outfield went up the third base line.
Tossing the final 1 2/3 innings in relief of Haley Locher, Babusci picked up her first collegiate victory. The freshman surrendered just one hit while walking none and striking out one.
Burns went 3-for-4 at the plate with three RBIs while Domico was 2-for-3 with a RBI.
