FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302
Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score
Apr. 23, 2011 - The North Central College baseball team came out even in a closely-contested double header at Zimmerman Stadium on Saturday, as the Cardinals and Wheaton College each claimed one-run victories.
North Central (16-8, 10-4 College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin) claimed a 6-5 victory in the first game, before the Thunder rallied for a 9-8 win in the nightcap. The Cardinals ended the day tied for second place in the CCIW standings, a half-game behind conference leader Illinois Wesleyan University.
The Cardinals scored the day's first run in the first inning, getting a RBI single from Matt Abraham. Michael Corrigan drove in a run with a double in the third before Joe Turek hit a three-run home run to extend North Central's lead to 5-0.
Wheaton (13-19, 5-10 CCIW) got on the board with a run in the third, although the Cardinals answered with a sacrifice fly from Alex Khoury in the fourth. The Thunder scored four times over the next two innings before managing just two hits in the final four innings.
Abraham and Nick Daniels each went 2 for 3 and Corrigan was 2 for 4. Jon Rashid was the winning pitcher (4-0), allowing two earned runs on five hits in six innings. He struck out five and walked four. Tyler Herman pitched the final 1 2/3 innings to earn his fourth save of the season.
The Cardinals also collected a first-inning run in the second game, as Abraham sent a RBI single through the left side. The hosts extended their lead to 4-0 in the second, as Dan Scott came through with a sacrifice fly and Matt Burke hammered a two-run double.
Wheaton halved its deficit with a two-run homer by third baseman Trey Martin in in the second. Turek homered once again and Hagensee plated a run with a double in the third before the Thunder added two more runs to leave the score at 6-4 in North Central's favor.
Burke walked, stole second base, and scored on a wild pitch in the fourth, though Martin responded with another home run, a solo shot, in the bottom of the inning. Wheaton scored in each of the next three innings and took a 8-7 lead at the end of the seventh.
Burke singled and later scored on an error in the eighth to tie the score, and the contest went into the bottom of the ninth tied. Martin was the first Wheaton batter to step to the plate, and delivered his third home run to end the game.
Hagensee went 2 for 3 in the final game of the series, while Burke went 2 for 4 with three runs scored.
The Cardinals are scheduled to host Elmhurst College on Monday at 3 p.m.
