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

Game One Box Score

Game Two Box Score

CHICAGO, Ill. (Apr. 9, 2016) – The North Central College baseball team struggled in the opener against North Park University on Saturday afternoon, falling 13-4 in game one, before bouncing back to win the nightcap 9-3 in a College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) doubleheader at the Holmgren Complex.
 
In the opener, the Vikings (8-15, 2-5 CCIW) jumped on Cardinal starter Bryan Polowy for a run in the bottom of the first, but North Central responded with three runs in the top of the second to take a 3-1 lead.  Luke McCaw, Kyle Piotrowski and Adam Nelson all singled to load the bases with no outs in the inning, while Robert Zebrauskas scored McCaw on a fielder's choice to knot the score at one.
 
Piotrowski came around to score on a Jeremy Quade fielder's choice later in the inning, while Sing Fong increased the Cardinal lead 3-1 with a RBI groundout to second, scoring Zebrauskas.
 
That lead did not last long however, as North Park would score in five of the final five innings, including a six-run bottom of the fifth to put the game out of reach.  The Vikings ran Polowy after 4 2/3 innings, allowing a career-high 10 runs, eight earned, on eight hits.
 
Nick Sotiros led all Cardinal batters with three hits in the opener, while Nelson also added a pair of hits.
 
The nightcap was scoreless through four innings until Quade got the scoring started with a RBI single to center in the fifth, scoring David Rico who singled to lead off the inning.
 
The Cardinal lead was quickly evaporated in the bottom half of the fifth, as North Park plated a pair of unearned runs to take a 2-1 after a Cardinal error extended the inning.
 
Starter Jordan Van Dyck settled down nicely however, going nine up, nine down, over the next three innings, while the offense plated eight runs over the final three innings.  Fong tied things up in the top of the seventh with a run scoring single up the middle, scoring Dan Sotiros.
 
In the top of the eighth the Cardinals busted the game open with four runs, including a RBI triple from Nick Sotiros, while scoring two batters later on brother Dan Sotiros' RBI single.  Quade increased the Cardinal lead further to 6-2 with a two-out, two-RBI single up the middle.
 
Three more runs from the Cardinal offense in the top of the ninth was more than enough for Van Dyck, as the senior finished what he started on the mound, earning the win and improving the 3-0 this season.  Van Dyck allowed just one earned run over his nine innings, striking out four and walking none.
 
Six Cardinals finished with multiple hits in game two, as Fong and Michael Mateja each finished 3-for-5, while Dan Sotiros was 2-for-3 with three RBI, two runs scored and a walk.
 
The two teams square off tomorrow in the rubber game of the three-game season series with first pitch slated for 1 p.m. at Zimmerman Stadium.  Links to live in-game coverage are available HERE.