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

Game One Box Score

Game Two Box Score

Apr. 7, 2012-- The North Central College softball team rallied for a doubleheader split with College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin foe Millikin University on Saturday at Shanower Field. The Cardinals fell 6-3 in game one before utilizing a seven-run seventh inning to earn the 7-3 win and salvage the series split.

Millikin (12-10, 1-1 CCIW) drew first blood in the opener, scoring a run in the opening inning and two more in the top of the second to grab the 3-0 lead.

The Cardinals (11-9, 1-3 CCIW) answered in the bottom of the second, pushing across a pair of runs to cut the deficit to just one run.

Mary Caron led of the frame with an infield single before advancing to third on a Jordyn Beck double. An Ashley Larak groundout plated Caron before Beck came home on an Ashley Guest sacrifice fly.

North Central tied the contest in the sixth with Katie Crawford belting in Colleen Drennan, who led off the inning by drawing a walk.

The Big Blue regained the lead in the top of the seventh with a Jenna Anderson double bringing in two before Meghan Matthews tallied a RBI single to conclude the scoring.

Beck finished the game two-for-three at the plate to lead a Cardinals' offense that pounded out eight hits during the game.

Vlasta Mangia (7-6) absorbed the loss, allowing five earned runs and striking out two in seven innings of action. Her counterpart, Lauren Kitterman (7-3), earned the complete game victory, allowing three earned runs and fanning two batters.

In game two, a Carly Trenhaile grand slam plated the go ahead run as the Cardinals exploded for seven runs in the top of the seventh to secure the 7-3 win.

The Big Blue once again struck first in game two, plating a pair in the bottom of the first inning while pushing across a single run in the third.

In the seventh, a pair of walks and a single loaded the bases before Kayla Antle was beaned to drive in the inning's first run. With one out and the bases still loaded Trenhaile hit a bomb to left field, clearing the bases and giving the Cardinals their first lead of the day at 5-3.

North Central's offense continued to pile on the runs as a Beck triple brought in two more runs for the four-run buffer.

Taylor Ryan and Mary Caron each finished game two with a pair of hits to lead the Cardinal offense while Trenhaile collected four RBIs.

Crawford (3-3) earned the victory in the circle, keeping the Big Blue off the scoreboard the final four innings of play, allowing two earned runs in seven innings of work. Millikin's Jan Ellis (4-3) suffered the loss, yielding five earned runs in 6 1/3 innings of action.

North Central closes its three game homestand on Tuesday, hosting Elmhurst College at Shanower Field in a doubleheader beginning at 3 p.m.