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Contact: Louis Groce, Graduate Assistant to the Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302

Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score

(Mar. 28, 2013) – With Vlasta Mangia and Andrea Starr dominating in the circle, the North Central College softball team swept Beloit College 6-0, 12-1 on Thursday afternoon at Shanower Family Field to extend their winning streak to 14 games to start the 2013 season. 

The previous best start in school history was in 1989, when the Cardinals started the season with 13 consecutive wins. 

In game one, Mangia threw a two-hit, complete game shutout, and struck out seven Buccaneer hitters.  At one point, she sent down 14 straight batters, and lowered her ERA to 0.36.

North Central (14-0) wasted little time in jumping on Beloit, as Kiersten Tinkoff laced an RBI single through the right side to score Kayla Antle, who had a bunt single earlier in the inning, to give the Cardinals a 1-0 lead after the first. 

After Beloit pitcher Jen Zucker held the Cardinals scoreless in the second and third, North Central broke through with two runs in the fourth on a double by Taylor Ryan.  North Central tacked on another run in the sixth courtesy of some Buccaneer miscues.

Tinkoff added her second RBI of the afternoon in the seventh and Jordyn Beck knocked in Jordan Johnson to complete the scoring. 

Another dominant pitching performance by Starr and an offensive explosion by the Cardinal lineup completed the sweep.  Starr yielded just one hit and one unearned run in five innings pitched. 

The Cardinals scored again in the first when Mangia smashed a triple to right center to score Ryan, who led off the game with a double.  The Buccaneers scored their first run of the afternoon in the bottom of the inning, but North Central added three more in the second to give them a 4-1 lead. 

Beloit hurler Megan Salm escaped the third inning, but in the fourth the Cardinals tagged her for five runs, and she was relieved by Mikayla Martin.  The Cardinals took advantage of four Beloit errors in the inning.  North Central put up a six spot in the frame behind RBI by Ryan, Mangia, and Amanda Walker.

Carly Trenhaile and Kayla Antle had four hits on the afternoon, while Ryan and Mangia both had three to power the offense.  Ryan also knocked in a team-high four runs.

North Central remains at home on Saturday when the host Monmouth College at 1:00 p.m.