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Contact: Tyler Friel, Sports Information Graduate Assistant, 630-637-5302

Game one Box Score
Game two Box Score

Apr. 14, 2016 – Playing a defensive minded game one and letting the offense take over in the nightcap, the North Central College softball team swept Elmhurst College, winning by scores of 1-0 and 10-7 to improve to 4-0 in College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) play Thursday afternoon at Shanower Field.

With no more than two hits in an inning for either team, the pitchers for both teams were efficient, getting out of every jam through six innings. The Cardinals started the seventh with a Rachele Belletini single followed by a sacrifice bunt by Amanda Walker to move Belletini to second. Andrea Starr was then hit by pitch and Taylor Clugston walked to load the bases for North Central. With one out, Jenna Amazzalorso stepped up and delivered a deep fly ball to center field, allowing Belletini to score and the Cardinals to walk off game one.

Game two would be much different as the Cardinals (13-9, 4-0 CCIW) put up four runs in the first inning. With the first three batters reaching for North Central, Walker took a base on balls to get the scoring started. Taylor Clugston walked just two batters later to score Jenna Trojniar. After a pitching change by Elmhurst, Jenna Amazzaloso singled to left to score Belletini and Sarah Esposito reached on a fielder's choice to score Walker. The Bluejays would get one of those runs back in the bottom half of the first but the Cardinals would keep their four run lead the next half inning as Trojniar doubled to score Anderson.

The Elmhurst (12-12, 2-4 CCIW) bats came alive in the third as a two-run homer cut the deficit in half. A bases loaded triple followed by a two out single allowed the Bluejays to take their first lead of the day 7-5.
The Cardinals fought their way back in the sixth as Trojniar tallied her second and third RBI's of the game, a single scoring two and knotting the score at 7.

In the seventh, Walker led off the inning with a homer over the center field fence, her third of the season. Esposito would take a RBI groundout later in the inning followed by a RBI single by Brooke Kehoe. The Cardinals allowed a leadoff double for the Bluejays but shut down the next three batters, taking the victory.

Starr (7-6) was the winning pitcher for both games, throwing seven innings while allowing only four hits and no runs in game one and throwing 4.1 innings in game two, allowing 1 run on five hits. She totaled five strikeouts on the day and only two walks.

Belletini ended the day 3 for 8 at the plate while Trojniar finished 5 for 7, including a perfect 4 for 4 in game two with three RBI's.

North Central travels to the University of Chicago for a non-conference matchup Saturday, Apr. 16 with game one starting at 1 pm. Live stats and video can be found HERE.