AURORA, Ill. - The Rockford University baseball team entered Monday's doubleheader against the Aurora University Spartans right in the thick of the race for the final few spots in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Tournament. Rockford began the day just one game back of the fifth spot with 4 game left to play. However it was a difficult day for the Regents as they lost both games to Aurora by identical 2-1 finals.
Junior Michael Murray (Princeton, Ill.) had yet another brilliant performance on the mound for Rockford in the opener. Murray fired 7.2 innings allowing 6 hits and no earned runs while striking out one. The junior was in control for nearly the entire game and at one point retired 9 consecutive Spartan hitters. Murray's stellar pitching effort lowered his earned run average to a NACC leading 1.23. He also leads the conference with 6 wins and is third in innings pitched and strikeouts with 58.2 and 44 respectively.
Offensively Rockford struggled to provide any run support for Murray. The Regents mustered just 6 hits and only really threatened a few times. The first of those opportunties came in the fourth when Connor McHugh (Hoffman Estates, Ill.) reached base with one of his two singles in the game. Two batters later, McHugh got himself into scoring position by stealing second base. The Regents were then able to load the bases courtesy of an Aurora error and walk. However, the next batter flew out to end the inning and the threat.
it wasn't until the top of the eighth when the Regents finally broke through to take a 1-0 lead. Kwynn Rury (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) got the inning started with a leadoff walk followed by a Robert Smith (Bartlett, Ill.) bunt single to give Rockford runners on first and second with no one out. One batter later both runners would advance a base after wild pitch. However, the Spartans were able to strike out the next batter before intentionally walking McHugh to load the bases with one out. Up stepped pinch hitter Mitchell Gorsuch (Cherry Valley, Ill.) who delivered in the clutch with an RBI single into left field putting his team in front 1-0. Unfortunately Rockford was unable to score any additional runs as the next batter hit into a double play to end the inning.
Rockford's lead did not last long as Aurora answered in the bottom half of the eighth inning. The Spartans took advantage of a Rockford error to score two unearned runs and win the game by a 2-1 final.
Game two followed a similar pattern as the opener with neither team able to do much offensively. Rockford struck first with a single run in the sixth inning before Aurora tied the game in eighth with another unearned run to force extra innings.
The Regents got their second outstanding pitching performance of the day this one from sophomore David Camacho (Elk Grove, Ill.). Camacho tossed 7 scoreless innings allowing just 4 hits while striking out 4 and walking one. In his last two starts, Camacho his combined to throw 16 shutout innings surrendering just 8 hits and striking out 13 batters.
Rockford's lone run in game two came in the sixth inning as the Regents used two timely hits to grab a 1-0 advantage. Junior Cole Logemann (Lena, Ill.) started the rally with one-out double into left field. One batter later, Brian Wiest (Lake Zurich, Ill.) laced a single giving Rockford runners on the corners. Connor McHugh then gave his team a 1-0 lead with an RBI groundout.
The Regents held onto their lead until the eighth inning when the Spartans again took advantage of a Rockford error to score a run and tie the game. At that point the Regents turned the game over to freshman Nathan Mulzer (Neenah, Wis.) who stymied the Spartan offense. Mulzer retired all 5 batters he faced over the next 1.2 innings to force the game into extra innings.
Unfortunately it was Aurora who broke through with a run in the bottom of the tenth to win the game and secure the sweep.
Despite losing both games, Rockford still has a chance to make the postseason tournament. The Regents will need to sweep Marian on Friday and get help from multiple other teams around the conference.
Prior to the conclusion of the NACC regular season this coming weekend, the baseball team will travel to Illinois Wesleyan for a single game on Tuesday. First pitch between the Regents and Titans is set for 6:00 PM.
