Game Nine Recap
AURORA FINISHES OFF SIMPSON COLLEGE
EAU CLAIRE, Wis. – In the first game on the third day of the 2008 NCAA Division III Softball Regional Championship in Eau Claire, Aurora University (Ill.) took down Simpson College (Iowa) 6-0 to advance in the tournament.
Simpson finished its season with a 29-12 record, while Aurora moves on with a 37-7 mark. Aurora will play another game later today at 4 p.m. against the winner of the Oshkosh-Illinois Wesleyan game that is being played at noon Saturday.
Aurora jumped out to an early lead in the game this morning, getting four runs in the opening inning of play. Dana Cebular came out swinging, hitting a lead-off home run to get the Spartans on the board. Nikki Veen then scored three batters later on a Shannon Starr RBI single up the middle. Briana Martin drove in two more runners later in the inning on a double to right center.
No scoring occurred again until the sixth, when Cebular hit a double to right center to drive in two more runs. Jamie Mueller and Ashley Barichello both scored on the play.
For the game, Cebular and Martin went 2-for-3, while Simpson’s Carlye Owens also hit the same. Simpson’s Kelsie Host was the only other to get a hit in the game for the Storm. Cebular also led the game with three RBIs, while Martin had two and Starr had one.
The Spartans’ Anna Snyder picked up the win, increasing her season record to 24-4. Pitching all seven innings, she faced 24 batters and got four strikeouts while allowing three hits. Calie Hohneke of the Storm was credited with the loss, dropping her season mark to 15-7. She only faced four batters but gave up three hits and four runs, three of which were earned.
