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

Box Score

Apr. 11, 2017 – The North Central College baseball team completed the season sweep over 24^th-ranked Augustana College on Tuesday afternoon as Sing Fong sent the Cardinals home 6-5 winners with a walk-off solo homerun on the first pitch he saw in the bottom of the 11^th inning.

With the score knotted at five runs apiece in the bottom of the 11^th, Fong jumped all over a belt high, first-pitch fastball, sending a laser over the left center field fence, his second career homerun and second in the last four games.

It was a pitcher's duel early as North Central plated an early first-inning run and held a 1-0 lead through four innings. Michael Mateja lined a triple over the center fielder's head with one out in the bottom of the first and trotted home on a wild pitch two pitches later to give North Central the 1-0 advantage.

Augustana (18-7, 4-5 CCIW) countered with three runs in the top of the fifth, as two Cardinal errors extended the inning as two of the three runs were unearned.

After two easy outs began the bottom of the seventh, John Carmody was hit by the first pitch he saw, while Ryan Scott made the Vikings pay, launching a two-run bomb to left on a 0-2 pitch to tie the game 3-3.

The Vikings quickly regained the lead the following half inning however, as Mitch Ruh sent a two-run homerun of his own to left center, once again regaining the lead 5-3 heading to the bottom of the eighth.

After a pair of groundouts led off the bottom of the eighth, Mateja just barely legged out a hustling infield single to extend the inning and just like the seventh, the Cardinals made the Vikings pay.  This time it was Nick Sotiros who countered with yet another two-run homerun, a no-doubt game-tying shot to left field, his third long ball of the season to extend the game for Fong's shot in the 11^th.

Nick Rogalski tossed the final four innings in relief of Cardinal starter Russell Hoh, as Rogalski allowed just one earned run, scattering three hits while striking out four to earn victory.  Hoh allowed four runs, just two earned, on five hits over seven innings pitched, striking out four while receiving a no decision.

Scott finished 2-for-3 from the plate with a walk, two RBI and a run scored, while Mateja also added a pair of hits and two runs scored.  Sotiros and Fong provided the other two North Central hits in the form of game-tying and game-winning homeruns, respectively.

North Central (10-7, 7-1 CCIW) hits the road for four-straight games starting on Tuesday, Apr. 12, traveling to Aurora University in a non-conference matchup at the Stuart Sports Complex at 3 p.m.