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Game One Box Score

Game Two Box Score

ELMHURST, Ill. (Apr. 5, 2010)-- The North Central College softball squad opened up College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin play on Tuesday at Elmhurst College's Salt Creek Park, falling 1-0 in a 10-inning marathon pitching duel before pounding the host Bluejays 11-5 in game two.

Cardinal pitcher Vlasta Mangia (2-2) and Elmhurst's Stephanie Iori were locked in a pitchers' duel in game one, as a Sarah Cademartori sacrifice fly with two outs in the bottom of the tenth provided all the offense necessary for the home side to escape with the victory.

Mangia had a no-hitter going until Katie Hruby hit a base knock with two outs in the seventh inning. Another base hit and a walk loaded the bases before the freshman retired Julie Devine for the inning's third out. North Central (11-5, 1-1 CCIW) had runners in scoring position in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings but were unable to push across any runs.

Elmhurst (8-14, 2-4 CCIW) led off the 10th with a Devine double. Pinch runner Rachel Hartman advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt before scoring on the sac fly to left field.

Mangia ended the game with six strikeouts in the losing effort while yielding just four hits while her counterpart tallied four strikeouts and allowed six hits.

A five-run offensive explosion in the fifth inning guided the Cardinals to the game two win, salvaging a series split.

North Central wasted little time, plating a pair of runs in the opening inning off an Alyssa Rabulinski single. The two squads traded jabs for the next couple of inning until the bottom of the fifth when the Cardinals blew open a 5-5 tie with a five-run outburst.

With two outs, Justine Walker got the rally going with a double to left center field. Colleen Drennan drew a walk while Taylor Ryan singled to load the bases. Erin Drennan drove in two with a single to left field before a Mary Caron double plated two more. A Lauren Schramm infield single brought in Caron for the frame's fifth run.

Walker tacked on an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth with a solo home run shot, giving the Cardinals the 11-5 edge.

North Central piled on 13 hits in game two with Erin Drennan leading the way with a three-for-four effort with two RBIs. Brianna Nelson (7-1) picked up the win in the circle, tossing all seven innings and striking out two while Lindsay Nauman suffered the loss, yielding five earned runs in 4 2/3-innings of work.

The Cardinals return to the diamond on Tuesday, stepping out of conference to face local nemesis Benedictine University in a 3 p.m. doubleheader at Shanower Field.