The Dominican University softball team split a Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) doubleheader with the Concordia University Chicago Cougars on Thursday at the Dome at Parkway Bank Sports Complex in Rosemont. The split pushes the Stars to 19-13 overall and 8-6 in NACC play and puts Dominican one step closer to securing the River Forest Rivalry Cup sponsored by Northwestern Mutual for the second straight academic year. Dominican currently sits twenty points ahead of the Cougars, 60-40, with ten points remaining in both baseball and men's tennis.
The Stars will return to the diamond on Saturday, traveling to Aurora to take on the Aurora University Spartans in a NACC doubleheader. First pitch in scheduled for 12:00 p.m. at Spartan Athletic Park.
Game One: Concordia Chicago 6, Dominican 1
The Cougars jumped on the Stars early, chasing starter
Cat Klostermann from the circle in the bottom of the first after the first four hitters all reached, plating two runs. Kristen Landon followed with an RBI double before
Sydney Kuderna could get the Stars out of the frame, trailing 3-0.
The early run support was more than enough for Concordia's Holly Bathje who held the Stars to just one run on nine hits and one walk while striking out eight.
Dominican cut into the lead in the top of the fifth, scoring a run with a two-out rally. Kuderna sparked the inning with a two-out double and came around when
Hannah Gordon singled through the left side of the infield.
Concordia responded with another three-spot in the bottom of the inning, including a two-run homer off the bat of Sydney Getz.
Alyssa Stuart managed three hits for the Stars in the loss but Dominican stranded ten runners on the base paths.
Game Two: Dominican 6, Concordia Chicago 1
Rookie right-hander
Allyson Dilday continued her stellar freshman season, improving to 8-4 in the circle while lowering her earned run average to a team-best 2.51. Dilday allowed just one unearned run on three hits and one walk while punching out eight in a complete-game effort.
Alena Valenzuela ignited a two-run second for Dominican, sending a double to dead center with one away.
Katie Fredrick followed with a single and Valenzuela then scored when Stuart bounced out to short.
Cecilia Winters McCarthy then plated Fredrick when she lined a single.
With Dilday hanging zeros, the Dominican bats broke the game open in the top of the sixth, pushing across four runs on three hits and one Cougar error.
Gabby Curran started the inning with a leadoff single and then stole second. After
Megan Hufnagle worked a walk, the Cougars retired the next two hitters before Valenzuela singled to center, scoring Curran. After an error extended the inning and allowed two more runs to cross, Stuart roped a double to the gap in left-center, pushing Fredrick to third. Fredrick then scored on a wild pitch.
The Cougars managed an unearned run in the bottom of the sixth but Dilday stranded runners at first and second in the frame before working around a leadoff walk in the seventh with three strikeouts.
