FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Mark Albanese, Assistant Sports Information Director, 630-637-5324

Game One Box Score

Game Two Box Score

Apr. 5, 2012-- The North Central College softball team opened up its College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin schedule on Thursday at Shanower Field, suffering a pair of shutout defeats to 24th-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University.

11 runs in a two-inning span propelled the Titans (14-3, 2-0 CCIW) to the 12-0 mercy rule victory in the opener before the Cardinals' (10-8, 0-2 CCIW) committed four errors in a 6-0 defeat in game two.

IWU tallied a single run in the opening inning of play in game one before piling on six runs in the third inning and five more in the fourth inning.

North Central threatened in the bottom of the second inning with the bases loaded and one out before a pair of strikeouts ended the frame.

Vlasta Mangia (7-5) suffered the loss, pitching three innings and yielding four earned runs. Molly McCready (5-2) earned the victory, striking out three in three innings of action before Chloe Montgomery closed out the game for the Titans.

Illinois Wesleyan jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning in game two, plating a pair of unearned runs. The nationally-ranked visitors tacked on single runs in the fourth and fifth innings before scoring two more unearned runs in the bottom of the sixth.

Mangia absorbed the defeat, tossing all six innings and allowing just two earned runs while Alyssa Vorel (4-1) earned the win, allowing four hits in six innings of action.

The Cardinals continue their homestand on Saturday, hosting Millikin University in a CCIW doubleheader with first pitch at Shanower Field slated for 12 p.m.