FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Mark Albanese, Assistant Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302

Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score

CHICAGO, Ill. (Apr. 29, 2010)-- It was a battle of regionally ranked squads on Thursday afternoon at Stagg Field as the North Central College softball team earned a doubleheader split with host University of Chicago. Fielding miscues unhinged the Cardinals in the opener, allowing eight unearned runs in a 9-1 defeat before rallying for the 6-3 extra-inning game two victory.

Chicago, ranked sixth in the Central Region, capitalized on six Cardinal errors in game one, plating eight unearned runs in the five-inning mercy rule shortened game.

The Maroons struck first, taking advantage of a wild pitch and a fielding error in the second inning to take the early 1-0 lead. Chicago tacked on a pair of unearned runs the following frame, boosting the home side's edge to 3-0.

The Cardinals, ranked 16th nationally and third within the Central Region, got on the board in the top of the fourth after Kara Reid led off the inning by blasting a double to right center field. Reid would come around and score on an Erin Drennan sacrifice bunt, cutting the deficit to just two.

Chicago responded in the bottom of the inning, piling on five runs while adding another in the fifth, enacting the mercy rule.

Holly Roadruck (12-5) was saddled with the loss, tossing four innings allowing just one earned run while her counterpart Sarah Neuhaus (11-2) picks up the win, pitching all five innings and striking out three.

Five runs over the final three innings of play, allowed the Cardinals to escape Stagg Field with the extra-innings game two victory, earning the series split.

Lauren Schramm broke up a scoreless contest in the fourth, belting a one-out solo home run shot over the left center field fence. The Cardinals would hold the slim one run lead until the bottom of the sixth as the host Maroons plated three runs with two coming on back-to-back sacrifice fly's.

North Central tied the game in the seventh, pushing across two runs off RBI singles by Justine Walker and Drennan forcing extra innings.

After a scoreless eighth inning, the Cardinals offense came alive in the ninth, plating three runs for the victory. Drennan belted a one-out triple, later scoring on a Laura Whitfield single. Whitfield and Schramm would both come around and score on a Maroon fielding error, giving North Central the 6-3 buffer.

Drennan led the offense, finishing three-for-five with an RBI in game two while Reid finished two-for-four at the plate.

Roadruck relieved Lyndsey Payne in the seventh inning, tossing the final three innings and yielding just one hit to pick up win while Kim Cygan (4-2) suffered the loss, tossing 7 2/3 innings and allowing two earned runs.

The Cardinals close out the regular season on Saturday, traveling to Rock Island, Ill. to take on Augustana College in a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin doubleheader. First pitch for game one is slated for 3 p.m.