WHEATON, Ill. – After a last-minute relocation of Saturday's doubleheader with Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference foe Aurora University, the Scarlet Hawks put together a strong two games against a team receiving votes in two different Division III national polls. Tech (10-14, 4-6 NACC) dropped game one of the twinbill to Aurora (19-6, 8-2 NACC) by an 8-7 score in 12 innings before defeating the Spartans 8-5 in the second game.

Runs-Hits-Errors: Game One (12 innings)

• Tech: 7 runs, 11 hits, 3 errors
• Aurora: 8 runs, 16 hits, 1 error

How it Happened: Game One

• It was the Scarlet Hawks who scored first in this one, with Enrique Acevedo plating a run on a groundout in the second inning after Tech loaded the bases with two singles and a walk to start the frame.
• Tech starter Ryan Cantlin was awesome for a third straight outing, holding the Spartans offense at bay over his six innings of work to allow the Scarlet Hawks to hold the slim lead.
• In the top of the fifth, the Scarlet Hawks exploded for three runs. After a Darius Jones walk and Jacob Sorenson single, Orlando Cardenas-Juan laid down a successful sacrifice bunt. Tech was not done bunting, however, as Peter Upham executed a pinch-hit squeeze bunt to drive in Jones on a sacrifice. One batter later, Nick Bledsoe homered for the third time this season, driving in Sorenson to give the Scarlet Hawks a 4-0 lead.
• Another run was added by Tech in the seventh inning on a Michael Courtney double. However, Aurora responded in a big way, scoring three in the seventh and three in the eighth to take a 6-5 advantage heading into the top of the ninth.
• Once again, it was Bledsoe who came through in the clutch, hitting yet another home run to tie the score.
• Now in extra innings, the Scarlet Hawks scored on a bunt single in the top of the 11th courtesy of Courtney to give Tech a 7-6 advantage. Aurora, though, scored in the bottom of the inning to tie it before winning on a walk-off single in the 12th.

Scarlet Hawk Standouts: Game One

• Bledsoe's monster games reads as follows: 4-for-4 with two home runs, a double, three RBI, two walks, and four runs scored.
• Cantlin tossed six shutout innings, allowing just five hits and three walks while striking out four.
• Courtney was 3-for-6 with a double and two RBI.

Runs-Hits-Errors: Game Two

• Tech: 8 runs, 10 hits, 1 error
• Aurora: 5 runs, 10 hits, 3 errors

How it Happened: Game One

• After Aurora took a 2-0 lead after one, the Scarlet Hawks scored three times over the next two innings to take a lead. In the second, Brandon Bennitt swiped home on a steal before a Cardenas-Juan triple and a Bledsoe RBI grounder plated third-inning runs.
• With the score tied at 4-4 in the seventh, a two-out error would prove costly for the Spartans, allowing David Navarro to score for Tech. One batter after the error, Bledsoe tripled to right field to give the Scarlet Hawks a two-run advantage.
• The Scarlet Hawks would score twice more in the ninth inning. Sorenson brought him Navarro on a groundout before Cardenas-Juan executed a squeeze play to score Jones.
• In the bottom of the ninth, Aurora would score one more time, but Tech starter Roberto Carselle shut the door on his complete-game victory with a lineout to third base.

Scarlet Hawk Standouts: Game Two

• Needing a strong start to rest the bullpen, Carselle delivered just that for the Scarlet Hawks. The sophomore tossed all nine innings, striking out six and recording zero walks.
• Bledsoe was 3-for-5 with a triple, double, and two RBI.
• Ted Howell was 2-for-4 with two doubles and a run scored.

Up Next

• On Monday, Tech will play two more conference games at Joliet Route 66 Stadium, home of the Frontier League's Joliet Slammers, against Wisconsin Lutheran. The doubleheader will start at 4:00 p.m.