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

Apr. 2, 2010-- The North Central College softball team successfully defended its home turf for the second straight doubleheader, sweeping Saint Mary's College, 4-0 and 6-5, Thursday afternoon, to remain unbeaten inside the friendly confines of Shanower Field.

Holly Roadruck highlighted the Cardinals' game one shutout victory, scattering five hits for her second complete game shutout of the season while helping her own cause offensively, finishing two-for-two with an RBI.

North Central wasted little time, plating two runs in the first inning after the team's first two batters safely reached base. Erin Drennan led off the inning with a single before Mary Caron reached base courtesy of a Belle fielding miscue. A Katie Pappa sacrifice fly scored Drennan for the game's first score before Caron crossed the plate the following batter after Laura Whitfield knocked a single up the middle.

The Cardinals would tack on a run apiece in both the second and third innings for the final four-run margin. Roadruck drew a walk to begin the second inning before getting replaced by pinch-runner Kristi Lishman. An Alyssa Rabulinski single moved Lishman to third before scoring on an RBI fielder's choice by Drennan. Whitfield scored North Central's final run of the game in the fourth, reaching base on a single, advancing to third on a fielding error before coming home on a Roadruck RBI single.

Whitfield and Roadruck were the only two Cardinals with multiple-hits, each finishing with a two in a game that saw no extra base hits by either squad. Ashley Peterson led the Belles, accounting for two of the team's five hits in the game.

An early lead proved fleeting for Saint Mary's in game two as a four-run second inning propelled the Cardinals to the 6-5 victory to earn a series sweep for the second consecutive season.

Taking advantage of four base hits and two wild pitches, the Belles pushed across three runs in the opening frame to take the early lead.

North Central countered in the bottom of the first, plating a run before exploding for four runs in the second to take the lead indefinitely. Drennan led off the first with a base hit, advancing to second on a Caron sacrifice bunt before scoring on a Pappa single through the right side.

The first three Cardinal batters reached base safely in the second inning, setting the table for a four-run inning. Ashley Barry and Kara Reid led things off with back-to-back singles before Rabulinski reached base on an error, allowing Barry to score from second base. A ground out advanced both Reid and Rabulinski before the pair scored on a Drennan single, giving the home side the lead. Drennan would tally the inning's fourth run, scoring off a Whitfield base hit.

Two hits and a sacrifice fly pulled the Belles to within one in the third inning at 5-4 before the Cardinals volleyed with a single in the fourth. With one out, North Central strung together four straight singles, scoring Caron but were unable to do any more damage as two-straight fly-outs ended the inning with the bases still juiced.

St. Mary's pulled to within one in the fifth inning, as a two-out Sara Montelongo double down the right field line brought in a score in what proved to be the final run of the game.

Pappa led the Cardinal offensive charge in game two, finishing a perfect four-for-four while Drennan, Whitfield and Reid each collected a pair of hits.

Lyndsey Payne pitched the game's final four inning in relief of Brianna Nelson to pick up the win, issuing no walks and allowing just one earned run.

With the wins, North Central improves to 12-4 on the season while St. Mary's falls to 11-9. The Cardinals return to the diamond on Saturday, hitting the road to face Aurora University in the team's final tune-up before College Conference Of Illinois and Wisconsin play begins on Tuesday.