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

Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. (May 1, 2010) - Benefiting from extended rallies in both games, the North Central College baseball team swept a double header at Augustana College on Saturday, defeating the Vikings, 11-8, at Swanson Stadium.

The Cardinals (27-5, 14-3 College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin), now winners of eight straight games, are within two victories of clinching the program's first CCIW Championship since 1998.

North Central scored four runs in the first three innings of the opener to put their stamp on the contest. A sacrifice fly by Matt Abraham and an RBI single by Joe Turek got the Cardinals on the board in the first inning, with an RBI groundout by Andrew Wulbecker in the second and a run-scoring double by Steve Hlavac in the third spotting the visitors a 4-0 advantage.

Augustana (21-14, 5-12 CCIW) plated three runs on four hits in the fifth inning to get back into contention, but a seven-run sixth inning helped the Cardinals slam the door. Wulbecker opened the scoring by crossing the plate on an error, Dan Scott followed with an RBI single, and Turek contributed a sacrifice fly before two-run doubles from Matt Burke and Wulbecker completed the surge.

The Vikings scored five runs in the final three innings, but stranded three baserunners to stall their comeback effort.

Nick Robinson went 5 for 6 at the plate for the Cardinals, while Burke and Wulbecker each went 2 for 4. Mike Kloss pitched 6 2/3 innings to get the win (6-1), striking out four and walking two.

Saturday's nightcap was scoreless until the third inning, when Wulbecker scored on a fielder's choice. Hlavac doubled the Cardinals' lead to 2-0 in the fourth inning when he hit his first home run of the season, a solo shot to left field.

Augustana evened the score at 2-2 in the fourth, but the Cardinals countered with another big inning, driving in six runs in the next frame. After three straight one-out singles, Turek turned in another sacrifice fly to put North Central back in front, 3-2. The other five runs in the inning came with two outs, as Hlavac and Wulbecker each hit RBI doubles and Burke drove in two runs with another two-bagger before Peter Romanello's RBI single.

The Cardinals closed out the day with a bang in the eighth, as Wulbecker led off the inning with a home run before Abraham added an RBI double and Michael Corrigan closed out the scoring with a two-run homer to center field, his team-leading seventh dinger of the season.

Wulbecker went 3 for 4 with three runs scored in the day's second game. TJ Hecimovich pitched five innings to get the win (2-0), allowing two runs on five hits while striking out three. Ricky Foytik pitched three perfect innings of relief to earn his third save of the year.

North Central hosts the Vikings in the series finale on Sunday at 1 p.m.