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

Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score

CINCINNATI, Ohio (Mar. 7, 2010) – The North Central College baseball team showed it has put its preseason practice time to good use on Sunday, making a series of clutch plays to sweep a double header against Franklin College, 4-2 and 4-3, at Legacy Field.

The Cardinals forced Franklin to strand five runners on base in the first two innings, as starting pitcher Mike Kloss recorded a two-out strikeout with the bases loaded in the second inning. North Central lit up the scoreboard first with a run in the third inning, as Brennan Hagensee singled and advanced on an error before scoring on a base hit by Matt Burke.

Franklin (2-2) threatened to counter with a big inning in the fourth, scoring the tying run with no outs and loading the bases, but a two-out groundout ended the threat. The Cardinals pulled ahead for good in the sixth on a two-run triple by Hagensee. Back-to-back extra-base hits by Franklin in the eighth narrowed the gap to 3-2, but North Central tacked on an insurance run in the ninth when Hagensee doubled and pinch runner Justin Moriarty scored on an error.

Hagensee and Burke each went 3 for 4 from the plate in the opener. Kloss pitched 5 2/3 innings to get the win, allowing one run on seven hits while striking out 10. Ricky Foytik pitched a scoreless ninth to record the save.

The Grizzlies converted a leadoff walk into a run in the bottom of the first inning of Sunday's second game, though Burke's bases-loaded single in the fourth tied the score at 1-1. Franklin scord an unearned run in the bottom of the fourth to regain the lead, but the Cardinals tied the game once again in the fifth after Nick Robinson ripped a triple down the right-field line and scored on a groundout by Dan Scott.

North Central took the lead in the sixth, as Andrew Wulbecker doubled and scored on a fielder's choice. The Cardinals did not allow a runner into scoring position for the next three innings and extended their lead to 4-2 in the ninth when Moriarty singled and stole second before scoring on a base hit by Robinson.

The Grizzlies threatened to force extra innings in the bottom of the ninth, scoring once and putting runners on first and third with two outs, but Foytik recorded a strikeout to complete the sweep.

Robinson and Michael Corrigan each went 2 for 5 in the nightcap. Kevin Krajewski struck out three batters in 2 1/3 scoreless innings of relief to get the win, while Foytik was credited with his second save in as many games.

The Cardinals are idle until opening play on the Spring Break trip to Winter Haven, Fla., on Mar. 20.