FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302
Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score
Apr. 30, 2011 - The North Central College baseball team became the first to qualify for the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin Tournament on Saturday, claiming both ends of a CCIW double header against Augustana College at Zimmerman Stadium.
The Cardinals (19-8, 13-4 CCIW) hammered out an 11-1 victory in the opener, then added a 5-1 win in the nightcap, giving North Central its eighth win in its last nine games and improving its record in home games to 12-3.
Saturday's first game was scoreless until the fourth inning, when Dan Scott, Matt Burke and Matt Abraham started off the inning with singles before an infield base hit by Michael Corrigan chased home the first run. Joe Turek followed with a bases-loaded walk before an RBI single by Brennan Hagensee as the hosts pulled ahead, 3-0.
Abraham scored on a wild pitch in the fifth and Scott delivered a run-scoring single in the sixth before the Vikings (20-11, 8-8) were able to plate their lone run of the game in the seventh.
The Cardinals tallied six runs in the home half of the seventh to close out the game via the CCIW's 10-run rule. North Central batters drew five walks and took advantage of two wild pitches and a passed ball in addition to their four hits in the inning.
Hagensee drove in the first two runs of the seventh with a single, and Turek and Hagensee both scored on wild pitches before a bases-loaded walk by Abraham and a single by Corrigan.
Corrigan went 3 for 4 in the game, while Abraham was 2 for 3 with three runs scored and Turek walked three times. Jon Rashid pitched all seven innings to get the win (5-0), scattering seven hits while striking out two and walking one.
North Central broke open a scoreless second game in the third with a three-run rally. A pair of infield errors, the first of which brought Tom Ross across the plate, helped the Cardinals get started, and Alex Khoury scored on a fielder's choice before Corrigan came through with a sacrifice fly.
The Vikings scored an unearned run in the seventh, though North Central countered in the eighth with a two-run double by Abraham.
Nate Arenson pitched all nine innings and improved to 4-1 with the victory, scattering just three hits while striking out three and walking one.
The final leg of the three-game set will be played at Augustana's Swanson Stadium on Sunday. The first pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.
