FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302
Box Score
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (May 12, 2011) - The North Central College baseball team threatened to take down the top-seeded Illinois Wesleyan University Titans in the opening round of the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin Tournament on Thursday, but a ninth-inning rally allowed the hosts to escape with a 5-4 victory at Jack Horenberger Field.
The Cardinals (20-16) took an early lead and went into the final inning tied, 4-4, but IWU emerged with a two-out run in the bottom of the ninth to post a fourth win over North Central in five days.
The visitors broke a scoreless tie in the third inning, as Matt Burke reached on an error and Matt Abraham singled before Michael Corrigan stepped to the plate and hit a three-run home run, leaving the park for the second straight game and the sixth time this season. The Titans (26-14), however, responded by tying the score in the bottom of the third, as the first four IWU batters reached base safely.
IWU took its first lead of the day in the sixth, loading the bases with one out before third baseman Jeff Grodecki's sacrifice fly. The Cardinals scored in similar fashion in the top of the seventh, as Burke and Abraham both came through with singles before Corrigan's fly ball to left allowed Burke to score.
Burke and Abraham set up a third potential scoring chance for North Central in the ninth. Leading off the inning, Burke was hit by a pitch. Abraham followed with an infield single, but the Cardinals were unable to advance their runners any further.
IWU opened its final scoring push when outfielder Ryan Hopp drew a leadoff walk. Hopp advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt and moved to third on a wild pitch before scoring on an error with two outs.
Abraham was responsible for a third of the Cardinals' hits, going 4 for 5 at the plate. Jon Rashid pitched the first seven innings for North Central, allowing four earned runs on eight hits while striking out four and walking five. Tyler Herman came on in the eighth and was assigned the loss (1-2) despite allowing no hits or unearned runs in 1 2/3 innings of relief.
North Central will play at 11 a.m. on Friday against the loser of Thursday's game between Carthage College and North Park University.
