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

Box Score

DECATUR, Ill. (April 22, 2012)—An offensive outburst from the North Central College baseball team propelled the Cardinals past Millikin University, 13-4, and into a four-way tie for first place in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) standings, on Sunday afternoon at Sunnyside Park.
 
The Cardinals (18-11, 9-6 CCIW) jumped ahead early as Joe Turek drove in Sam Carius for an early 1-0 first inning lead.
 
Millikin would answer with a run in the bottom half of the second inning, knotting the score at 1-1.  In the top of the third North Central took the lead once again when Turek doubled home a pair of runs, putting the Cardinals ahead 3-1.
 
In the bottom of the fourth the Big Blue (8-23, 3-12 CCIW) would tie the score yet again 3-3.
 
The Cardinals would break open the contest in the top of the fifth, scoring six runs on four hits.  After an RBI single by Turek and a 2-RBI double by Sam Klein, Nick Hammerl clubbed his first homerun of the season to increase the Cardinal advantage 9-3.
 
The offensive onslaught continued in the top of the sixth inning as Joe Turek hit his team leading fifth homerun of the season, plating three more Cardinal runs and giving North Central a decisive 12-3 lead.
 
Turek led all batters going 5 for 6 from the plate with seven RBI while Hammerl and Klein each had two hits apiece.
 
Connor Brown improves to 2-1 on the mound for the Cardinals going 8 innings while striking out two.
 
The Cardinals play host to non-conference opponent Dominican University on Tuesday, April 24 at 3 pm inside Zimmerman Stadium.