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Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302

Game 1 Box Score

Game 2 Box Score

May 10, 2009 - The North Central College baseball team capped off the 2009 season Sunday at Zimmerman Stadium, losing the first game of a double header against the University of Chicago, 9-5, before rallying to send its seniors off with a win by the same score in the final contest of the year.

Chicago, which had already posted two wins over the Cardinals earlier in the season, opened its bid for a third victory over North Central early in the first game, taking a 4-0 lead in the third inning. The Cardinals were able to get two of the runs back in the bottom of the third, as Joe Heller tripled to plate the first run and later scored on a single by Michael Corrigan.

The Maroons (19-12-1) re-established their four-run lead by scoring once in the fourth inning and once in the fifth. The hosts countered with a fifth-inning run on another single by Corrigan, and an RBI base hit by Matt Abraham in the sixth yielded another North Central score, and the Cardinals headed into the seventh and final inning trailing, 6-4.

Chicago tagged North Central's bullpen for three runs on three hits in the seventh to stay clear of the home team, though Steve Hlavac did double to drive in a run in the home half of the inning.

Mike Kloss pitched the first five innings and dropped to 4-3 on the season with the loss. He allowed six runs on seven hits, striking out six and walking two.

The Maroons jumped on top early in the second game as well, leading 1-0 in the first inning. Heller's double in the bottom of the first tied the game, and North Central broke the contest open with a five-run second inning. Nick Robinson opened the floodgates with an RBI single, Dan Scott followed with a two-run triple, and Abraham and Adam Dobrez both singled in runs before the Cardinals went back into the field.

A three-run fourth inning put the game out of reach, as Dobrez singled to drive in another run, Hlavac brought a runner home with a sacrifice fly, and Matt Burke recorded an RBI on a groundout.

Joseph Gaza got the win in his first and only career start, improving to 3-0 on the season. He pitched six innings, allowing one earned run on seven hits.

North Central finishes the season with a record of 11-25-1.