Contact: Drew Sauer, Assistant Sports Information Director, 630-637-5324
Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score
Apr. 23, 2017 – After dropping the opening game of the doubleheader 8-7, the North Central College baseball team salvaged a split with Millikin University on Senior Day on Sunday behind a complete game performance from
Evan Blunk, earning a 3-1 victory in the nightcap.
North Central took an early 2-0 lead in the opener behind an RBI groundout from
Nick Sotiros in the first, followed by a solo homerun off the bat of
Chris Hill to lead off the second.
That lead did not last long however, as Millikin countered to plate double digit runs in each of the next three inning to open up a 7-2 advantage after five innings of play.
The Cardinal comeback attempt began with a three-spot in the bottom of the sixth, as
John Carmody and Hill each walked to start the inning.
Sing Fong promptly followed with a scorching double to the left center field gap, scoring the pair, while trotting home on a
Adam Nelson single two batters later, trimming the Big Blue lead 7-5.
The two teams traded a run in the seventh inning to take a 8-6 score into the ninth, where Sotiros led off with a triple to the left center field fence to put the Cardinals in business. Carmody quickly drove home Sotiros with a single through the right side, cutting the Millikin lead 8-7 still with nobody out.
North Central's luck ran out there however, as back-to-back strikeouts and a fielder's choice groundout ended the threat and the opener 8-7 in favor of the Big Blue.
Nelson finished 2-for-3 with a walk and run scored in game one, while Carmody finished 2-for-4 with a walk, runs scored and RBI. Sotiros also added a pair of hits, to go along with two RBI and a run scored.
Saving perhaps his best performance for Senior Day, Blunk allowed just one unearned run in the first inning on the nightcap then proceeded to shut down the Millikin offense the remainder of the contest. Finishing what he started, Blunk scattered five hits over his nine innings, allowing just two past the third inning, while striking out seven and walking none on an extremely efficient 104 pitches.
Millikin's Devin Crews led off the game with an infield single and advanced to third on a Cardinal throwing error, before a RBI-groundout from Mason Bruce gave the Big Blue the early 1-0 lead.
North Central responded in the bottom half of the second inning, as Hill singled up the middle to lead off the frame. After a pair of flyouts, Nelson and
Robert Zebrauskas each singled to load the bases and extend the Cardinals' two-out rally. On a 1-2 pitch, Quade came through with the big hit that seemed to be eluding the Cardinals, lining a base hit to left, scoring Hill and Nelson while overtaking the lead 2-1.
North Central added another run in the bottom of the third on a RBI-groundout off the bat of Hill, scoring Carmody who led off the inning with a double to left center, increasing the North Central advantage 3-1 and that proved to be all the run support Blunk would need as game two finished in just under two hours.
Hill finished the nightcap 2-for-4 with a RBI and run scored, while Carmody was also 2-for-4 with a run scored.
Michael Mateja and Zebrauskas each added a pair of hits in game two, while Mateja increased his on-base streak to 22 straight games. With a hit in each contest,
Jeremy Quade also increased his season-high hitting streak to 10 games.
North Central continues College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) play on Tuesday, Apr. 25, beginning the season series with Wheaton College with first pitch at Lee Pfund Stadium scheduled for 6 p.m. Links to live in-game coverage are available
HERE.
