FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302
Luther Game 1 Box Score
Luther Game 2 Box Score
Knox Box Score
WINTER HAVEN, Fla. (Mar. 22, 2010) - The North Central College baseball team is 2-1 at the midway point of its Spring Break trip after following a 3-2 loss to Luther College (Iowa) with a 10-1 victory over the Norse in the second game of a double header on Saturday and pounding Knox College (Ill.), 10-1, on Sunday.
The Cardinals (4-1) got solid pitching throughout both days and came within a couple of key plays of sweeping all three contests.
Luther scored all three of its runs in the opener in the first three innings. North Central threatened to counter in the second, but stranded three baserunners. The Cardinals remained scoreless until the sixth, when
Joe Turek led off with a double and scored on a two-bagger by
Brennan Hagensee.
Matt Burke followed with a single to score Hagensee and moved into scoring position on
Nick Robinson's base hit before the Norse got out of the inning.
Michael Corrigan and Turek drew walks in the seventh to give North Central another chance to rally, but Norse closer Augie Lindmark got two fly-ball outs to end the game.
Burke went 2 for 3 at the plate, while Robinson and
Matt Abraham each went 2 for 4.
Mike Kloss pitched the entire game for the Cardinals and took the loss (1-1), allowing three runs on seven hits. He struck out five and walked one.
North Central had no trouble getting on the board early in the nightcap, scorching the Norse pitching staff for nine runs in the first three frames, including a six-run second inning. Singles by Abraham and Hagensee each brought home runs in the first, spotting the Cardinals a 2-0 advantage.
After recording the first out in the second, Luther yielded eight straight hits by the Cardinals.
Dan Scott's single drove in the first run of the inning, Abraham doubled to bring home two more, Turek added another run with a single, and Hagensee ripped a double to score two more following a pitching change.
Peter Romanello scored on an error in the third to increase the Cardinals' lead to 9-0, and a sacrifice fly by
Andrew Wulbecker in the sixth pushed North Central into double digits. A leadoff triple led to Luther's lone run in the seventh.
Abraham went 3 for 4 at the plate with three runs scored, Hagensee went 2 for 3, and Robinson, Scott and Corrigan each went 2 for 4.
Tyler Herman went the distance in his first start of the season (1-0), scattering six hits while striking out six and walking one.
The Cardinals also drew first blood in Sunday's game, as a double by Abraham and a single by Turek each drove in runs in the first inning. Robinson singled home a run in the fourth and Hagensee scored on a fielder's choice in the sixth as North Central extended its lead to 4-0.
Abraham came through with another RBI double in the seventh, which Knox countered with its only run in the bottom of the inning. The Cardinals put the game away in the eighth, capitalizing on three Prairie Fire errors and scoring five runs.
Wulbecker and Romanello scored on consecutive errors with the bases loaded before Corrigan and Turek each notched RBIs by drawing walks. Abraham scored the team's final run on the third Knox fielding error.
Abraham went 3 for 5 and Hagensee and Wulbecker each were 2 for 5 at the plate.
Nate Arenson pitched seven innings and improved to 2-0 with the win, allowing five hits and three walks while striking out six. He did not allow a hit until the fourth inning.
North Central takes on D'Youville College (N.Y.) on Monday in a double header beginning at 12 p.m. Eastern time.
