Box Score MEQUON, Wisconsin – The MSOE baseball team dropped the first game of the 2017 NACC Tournament 8-0, to Aurora Thursday morning at Kapco Park.
The Raiders (19-20) will now return to action Friday morning at 10 a.m. in an elimination game against Dominican.
The Spartans did their damage by capitalizing on five Red & White errors for a two-run third, four-run fourth inning, and two more runs in the fifth inning. Of their eight runs, just four were earned.
That would be all the offense AU would need, as MSOE finished with just three hits and a walk off Jacob Stockman. The Aurora pitcher threw a complete game shutout with two strikeouts.
Junior Owen Burnikel had a double to reach base for the 32nd-straight game, eclipsing the longest such streak for the Raiders since they joined the NACC. Junior Garrett Willems reached twice on a hit and a walk and sophomore Nick Gross collected the team's other hit.
Junior Brandon Rankila (1-3) suffered the loss, allowing four earned runs over 3.2 innings on the mound. Sophomore Sam Crawford gave up a pair of unearned runs in 1.1 innings. Freshman Nathan Tremore struck out the side in an inning and senior John Dzurka finished the game off with a pair of hitless frames.
