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

Box Score Game One

Box Score Game Two

ELMHURST, Ill. (May 4, 2013) – The North Central College baseball team remains in contention for the fourth and final spot in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Tournament, sweeping both seven-inning games of a  doubleheader over Elmhurst College by scores of 3-2 and 6-5 in ten innings, respectively, Saturday afternoon at Butterfield Park.
 
North Central needs a victory tomorrow in the final game of the series to claim the fourth spot in the conference tournament, with a loss Wheaton will claim the final spot as the Thunder hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Cardinals.
 
In the opener, the Cardinals (18-18, 10-10 CCIW) jumped out to an early 2-0 lead as Kevin Hennessy smacked his team leading fifth homerun of the season, a two-run shot over the left field fence.
 
In the top of the third, North Central added another run as Matt Brancato plated Hennessy on an RBI-groundout.
 
The Bluejays (18-19, 7-13 CCIW) rallied for one run in the fourth and another in the sixth but Cardinal started Jon Rashid finished what he started, tossing seven complete innings striking out six.
 
Hennessy and John Ciolkosz paced the Cardinals from the plate in game one, each going 2-for-3 from the dish.
 
In the nightcap the Bluejays struck first for one run in the bottom of the second inning, but the Cardinals struck back with four runs in the top of the fifth as Ciolkosz and Zac Pacanowski delivered RBI-singles to give the Cardinals a 2-1 lead.
 
Later in the inning, Nick Daniels doubled scoring Ciolkosz and Pacanowski, increasing the Cardinal advantage 4-1.
 
Elmhurst countered with three runs on five hits in the bottom of the inning, knotting the score 4-4.
 
In the top of the tenth, Joe Paparone led off with a double to left center before Vito DeRango and Sam Klein each followed with RBI-doubles to give the Cardinals a 6-4 lead.
 
The Bluejays rallied for a run in the ninth off Cardinal closer Brendan Ryan but the senior held on for his seventh save of the season, tying the single season save record in program history.
 
DeRango, Klein and Daniels each had a pair of hits in game two while Hennessy was 1-for-3 with three walks.
 
North Central hosts Elmhurst tomorrow to close out the regular season.  First pitch at Zimmerman Stadium is slated for 1 p.m.