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Contact: Drew Sauer,Graduate Assistant to Sports Information Director, 630-637-5324

Box Score

FRANKLIN, Ind. (Mar. 4, 2012)-- Closing out a three game series against Franklin College on Sunday afternoon, the North Central College baseball team took advantage of 20 hits, while piling on 17 runs in the rubber match at McDowell Field, to improve to 2-1 on the young season.
 
Sam Carius got the Cardinals (2-1) on the board in the top of the first, scoring on an error on a Kevin Hennessy grounder to first.  The Grizzlies (5-2) answered right back scoring three runs of their own in the bottom half of the opening frame.
 
The two teams traded a run in the second inning as Joe Paparone raked an RBI single to left.
 
The Cardinals busted out the bats in the top of the third tacking on five runs on six hits.  Joe Turek led off the inning with a solo bomb to left field.  Later in the inning, Carius singled with the bases loaded bringing home two runs, followed by a Paparone RBI single and Steve Hlavac singling home his first run of the game.
 
Franklin bounced back yet again in the bottom of the fourth inning, scoring three runs to knot the score at, 6-6.
 
The Cardinals answered right back racking on six runs in the fifth with Alex Khoury scoring on a throwing error and Carius knocking in his third run of the game on a single to left.  Hennessy added an RBI single and Turek smashed an RBI double to center, later scoring on a passed ball to give North Central a, 13-7, lead. 
 
In the eighth inning, the runs kept coming for the Cardinals as Hennessy started the scoring with an RBI single, Turek drew a bases loaded walk, and Ben Krusen doubled in two runs to up the Cardinal lead to, 17-8.
 
All Cardinal starters recorded a hit on the afternoon with Paparone pacing the way going 4 for 6 with two RBI.  Carius finished the afternoon going 3 for 6 from the plate driving in three runs.

Jon Rashid started on the bump for North Central giving up seven earned runs on eight hits over four innings.  T.J. Hecimovich was credited with the victory with four strong innings in relief, allowing just one earned run while striking out four.
 
North Central is back in action on March, 9 as they take on Buena Vista University in Jacksonville, Ill.  First pitch is slated for 4 pm.