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

Game one box score
Game two box score

NAPLES, Fla. (18 Mar. 2017) – Entering the day on a three game skid, the North Central College softball team finished their third day with a split, losing to Marian University 9-2 before defeating Castleton University 9-0 in five innings Saturday morning North Collier Regional Park.

In game one, the Cardinals and Sabres remained tied a majority of the game, with both teams exchanging a run in the fourth. An RBI single down the left-field line from Brooke Kehoe allowed the Cardinals to keep the game tied. The Sabres would take a convincing lead in the sixth as they took advantage of three Cardinals errors along with their five hits to put six runs on the board. Marian would add two more runs in the seventh and a Rachele Belletini RBI single would give the Cardinals one run but the deficit would be too much to overcome, falling 9-2.

North Central and Marian both totaled eight hits in the game but the Cardinals four errors would prove to be the difference maker in the end. Belletini and Taylor Clugston both finished 2-for-4 while Kehoe and Belletini each tallied an RBI.

Game two would be more favorable for the Cardinals, scoring in all but one inning and piling on 13 hits in five innings.

Clugston started the game with a leadoff walk and would be in scoring position two batters later as Jenna Trojniar singled. Samantha Phelps grounded out the following batter but drove in Clugston and moved Trojniar over to third. A wild pitch from Castleton's hurler allowed Trojniar to score and give the Cardinals a 2-0 lead. North Central increased their lead the following inning courtesy of a Molly Price single to center field that allowed Kehoe to score.

The Cardinals (2-4) scored two more in the third as Trojniar doubled to score Belletini who led off the inning with a triple to right field. Two batters later, a sacrifice fly to right from Anna Seffernick extended the Cardinals lead 5-0. North Central blew the game open as they put up four runs in the fifth on six hits. The 9-0 lead would be more than enough as the Cardinals were able to short-game Castleton.

Sarah Esposito had a near perfect performance on the day, allowing just one hit and facing one more than the minimum while collecting two strikeouts and walking zero. Multiple Cardinals tallied two hits in the game while Clugston recorded a two-RBI game.

The Cardinals are back at it again tomorrow as they face Crown College at 11 am and Manchester University at 1 pm (ET) on Sunday March 19.