FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Mark Albanese, Assistant Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302
Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score

Mar. 27, 2010-- Scoring 11 runs off of just 13 hits, the North Central College softball squad opened up its home slate at Shanower Field with a doubleheader sweep of non-conference foe Concordia University Chicago, earning the 3-1 win in the opener before closing out the series with an 8-5 victory.

The Cougars came up empty handed in both the first and third innings in game one despite having runners on the corners with just one out in both frames. Alyssa Rabulinski converted an unassisted double play to end the first while a strikeout and a ground out derailed CUC's scoring efforts in the third.

North Central opened up the scoring in the fourth after Erin Drennan led off the inning with a single, the Cardinals' first hit of the game. Drennan stole second and advanced to third on a ground out before Ashley Barry drove her in on a fielder's choice.

Concordia countered in the top of the fifth, leading off the inning with a double by Caitlin Richards, later scoring on a Betsy Statza single up the middle, knotting the score at one apiece.

The Cardinals would seize control in the sixth, plating a pair of runs. North Central opened up the inning with back-to-back singles from Katie Pappa and Laura Whitfield before a Kara Reid double to center field cleared the bases, giving the home side the two-run buffer.

Lyndsey Payne (2-0) earned the game one victory, tossing all seven innings and allowing just one run, scattering 10 hits and striking out four. Her counterpart, Sami DeFord was credited with the loss, allowing five hits and three earned runs in six innings of work.

Concordia struck first in game two with Colleen Mullaney blasting a two-out triple down the right field line, scoring the next at-bat after Cassie Slechta doubled to center field. North Central responded in the bottom of the first with a pair of two-out runs. Whitfield singled before getting driven in the next at-bat on a Barry double. Reid followed that up with a single of her own, bringing in Barry and giving the homestanding Cardinals the 2-1 edge.

North Central continued where they left off in the third inning with Mary Caron blasting her first career home run to lead off the inning. Kelli Lofgren crossed the plate for the inning's second run, drawing a walk to reach base before getting driven home off a Laura Whitfield sacrifice fly while Barry's second extra-base hit of the day brought in Whitfield, giving the Cardinals a four-run buffer.

The Cougars responded in the top of the fifth, plating a pair of runs before the Cardinals countered with a Caron two-RBI double in the bottom of the frame, scoring Barry and Rabulinski who reached on a single and a walk.

North Central upped its lead to 8-3 in the bottom of the sixth with Drennan scoring after leading off the inning with a single. Facing a five-run deficit, the Cougars managed two runs in the seventh, thanks in part to a Sara Bader two-out single before Brianna Nelson closed out the complete game effort in the circle with a strikeout.

Nelson improves to 2-0 on the season with the victory, fanning eight batters and allowing just two earned runs while Cassie Slechta was saddled with the loss, allowing five earned runs in seven innings of work.

Barry finished the game three-for-four at the plate while Caron was two-for-three with a team-leading three RBIs. Clarissa Geiseke paced the Cougar offense in game two, driving in three runs and finishing two-for-four at the plate.

With the wins, North Central improves to 9-3 on the season while Concordia Chicago falls to 1-15. The Cardinals return to the diamond on Tuesday, March 30, making the short trip down Chicago Avenue to face Benedictine University in a non-conference doubleheader beginning at 3 p.m.