FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Mark Albanese, Assistant Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302

DECATUR, Ill. (Apr. 11, 2009)--  The North Central College softball team continued its road success within the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin, earning its second sweep of the conference season, taking down the host Millikin University Big Blue by scores of 11-2 and 5-1. The Cardinals exploited the longball in both contests, hitting three home runs on the day after having just two home runs all season heading into Saturday.

The opener was scoreless until the top of the third when a pair of home runs by Katie Pappa and Erin Drennan gave the visiting Cardinals the 2-0 advantage. Three innings later the Cardinal offense would strike again, plating nine runs to balloon its lead to 11-0. Laura Whitfield led off the inning with a base knock, scoring the next at-bat when a Kara Reid double drove her home. Holly Roadruck would single, advancing Reid before a Sammie Bloomfield home run cleared the bases.

The Big Blue would attempt to stage a late rally in the bottom of the sixth, scoring two runs but were unable to come within eight to extend the game, giving the Cardinals the 11-2 win in a mercy-rule shortened game.

Roadruck (6-4) picked up the win in the circle for North Central, pitching all six innings and yielding just two runs and seven hits. Whitney Schafman (6-5) absorbed the loss, tossing five innings, allowing six earned runs and striking out five.

Roadruck highlighted the offensive attack, helping her own cause, accounting for four of the Cardinals 14 base hits during the game.

North Central struck first again in the late game, plating four runs in the bottom of the third en route to the 5-1 victory and series sweep. A Whitfield single scored the game's first run while later in the inning Reid belted a three-run home run blast, pushing the visitor's lead to 3-0. Millikin would get on the board in the sixth inning, scoring on a sacrifice fly before the Cardinals countered in the bottom half of the inning, netting another run after an error by the pitcher allowed Kelli Lofgren to score.

Brianna Nicholson (6-3) went the distance in the circle to pick up the win, allowing just one run off eight hits while Kristina Bechtold (3-9) was saddled with the loss, tossing six innings and allowing five runs and just one earned run.

Whitfield finished the game the only Cardinal with multiple hits, going two-for-three at the plate with an RBI.

With the wins, North Central improves to 13-7 overall and 5-1 in conference action while Millikin falls to 10-16 on the year and 2-4 in CCIW play. The Cardinals return to the diamond on Tuesday, taking on North Park University at Shanower Field in Naperville, Ill. in a doubleheader beginning at 3 p.m.