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Carleton Box Score

Lawrence Box Score

JACKSONVILLE, Ill. (Mar. 8, 2015) – Finishing the weekend 3-1, the North Central College baseball team earned a pair of walk-off victories Sunday afternoon, securing a 4-3 win in game one over Carleton College, before scratching out a 5-4 victory over Lawrence University in game two.
 
Game one went back-and-forth as Carleton (2-5) plated an unearned run in the top of the second as Luke Curtis drove in the game's first run with a sacrifice fly.
 
North Central responded with a run the following half inning to knot the score at one apiece, as Chris Hill continued where he left off yesterday with an RBI single to left field, scoring Bobby Smith.
 
In the top of the sixth, the Knights regained the lead as Hayden Tsutsui led off the inning with a single.  After advancing to second on a sacrifice fly and third on a wild pitch, Tsutsui came around to score on a Jack Atterberry single two batters later.
 
North Central turned the tables in the bottom of the seventh, stringing together three hits to plate a pair of runs and take a 3-2 lead.  Vito DeRango led off the inning with a single and promptly came around to score as Hill followed with a RBI double to left field.  After a sacrifice bunt advanced Hill to third, Zach Jarosz stepped to the plate and lined a RBI single to left, scoring Hill.
 
The Cardinal lead did not last long as Tsutsui led off the top of the eighth with a solo homerun to center field, knotting the score yet again 3-3.
 
After dwindling a bases loaded, one out opportunity in the ninth, the Cardinals capitalized in the bottom of the ninth as Jake Rone drew a one-out walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch the next batter.  After Sam Klein reached on an error, allowing Rone to advance to third, Joe Paparone sent the Cardinals home in walk-off fashion with a single to left, scoring Rone and clinching the 4-3 victory.
 
Hill led the Cardinal offense finishing 2-for-3 with two RBI and a walk in game one, while DeRango and Paparone also added a pair of hits.
 
Kelse Gengler earned the victory on the mound, striking out two batters in his lone inning of work.  Rone receives a no-decision after tossing 6 1/3 innings of four hit ball, allowing two runs, one earned.
 
Tsutsui led the Knights with a 3-for-3 effort from the plate, with two runs scored, an RBI and a walk.
 
Game two featured the same back-and-forth battle as the opener, as Lawrence jumped out to a 1-0 lead after the second inning, but North Central plated an unearned run on a Paparone double in the bottom of the fourth to knot the score 1-1.

In the top of the sixth, the Vikings (0-4) strung together four hits to plate a pair and take a 3-1 lead, running Cardinal starter Evan Blunk from the contest as Blunk gave up three earned on eight hits over his six innings pitched, striking out two.
 
The Cardinals responded with two runs in the bottom of the seventh as Jarosz drew a bases loaded walk, driving in Klein, while Richard Concialdi followed with an RBI single, once again knotting the score at three apiece.
 
Lawrence plated a go-ahead run in the top of the ninth and North Central was down to its last out in the bottom of the ninth, but the resilient Cardinals were not to be denied.  With the bases loaded and two outs, Paparone drove a groundball to second but the subsequent throw to first was mishandled by the Viking first baseman allowing the game-winning runs to score.
 
Despite being out-hit 13-5, North Central was able to take advantage of four Lawrence errors on the afternoon leading to all five Cardinal runs.
 
Klein was the lone Cardinal with multiple hits in game two, finishing 2-for-4 from the dish with a run scored and a walk, while Concialdi and Paparone each recorded a hit and RBI.

Steve Lemm earned the win on the mound, entering the game in the top of the ninth and enducing an inning-ending double play.
 
North Central is back in action Saturday, Mar. 14 traveling to Franklin College for a pair of non-conference contests, taking on the Grizzlies at 10 a.m. (ET) followed by No. 23 Adrian College at 1 p.m. (ET) at John P. McDowell Memorial Field.