Contact: Drew Sauer, Assistant Sports Information Director, 630-637-5324
Box Score
May 9, 2016 – In a low scoring non-conference game against Aurora University to finish the regular season, the North Central College baseball team used eight pitchers to scrape out a 2-1 win on Monday at Zimmerman Stadium.
Each team plated a run in the first inning, as Aurora's Adam Lipscomb singled to right center field in the top of the first, scoring Jeffrey Mayes to give the visitors an early 1-0 lead.
North Central (29-8) countered with a run of their own in the bottom half of the first however, as
Sing Fong reached on a fielder's choice while
Bobby Smith singled through the left side to put runners on first and second with one out. After the pair each moved up a base on a double steal,
Chris Hill drove home Smith with a RBI groundout to first base, knotting the score 1-1.
After
Russell Hoh exited the game after the second inning due to a pitch count with the upcoming College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Tournament looming this weekend, seven Cardinal pitchers combined to stifle the Spartan bats over the final seven innings.
Andrew Houser tossed two scoreless in relief of Hoh, while
Brett Pyburn,
Blake Kons,
Zack Hamaker,
Michael Sweeney,
Nick Rogalski and
Nick Anderson combined for five innings, allowing just three hits.
The Cardinal offense finally broke the 1-1 tie in the bottom of the seventh, as Spartan pitcher Henry Erickson induced two easy outs to start the frame, but an error on the Aurora third baseman extended the inning and the Cardinals made them pay. After
Jeremy Quade reached on the error, Fong followed with a double to left field, scoring Quade all the way from first in what proved to be the game-winning run.
Sweeney and Rogalski combined for a scoreless eighth, while Anderson got out of a first and second jam with one out in the bottom of the ninth to earn his second save of the season. Hamaker earned the victory on the mound for his first collegiate win, tossing a scoreless top of the seventh.
The top five batters of the Cardinal lineup had all six hits on the afternoon, while the bottom half of the lineup combined to go 0-for-11. Smith led the way going 2-for-4 from the plate, while Fong finished 1-for-4 with a run scored and a RBI.
North Central will take on Illinois Wesleyan in the first game of the CCIW Tournament on Thursday, May 12 at 3:30 p.m., hosted by Augustana College at Swanson Stadium in Moline, Ill. The link to the tournament website is available
HERE.
