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

Box Score

CHICAGO, Ill. (Apr. 7, 2017) – Piling on 11 of their 12 runs in the fifth inning and beyond, the North Central College baseball team used a season-high 19 hits to power past North Park University, 11-4 in the rubber game of the season series at the Holmgren Complex.
 
The Cardinals (7-7, 4-1 CCIW) plated an early first-inning run on a Chris Hill single to right field that was misplayed by the Viking outfielder, allowing Nick Sotiros to cross the plate as the unearned run gave North Central a 1-0 lead.
 
The North Park offense came alive in the bottom of the fourth inning, plating four runs on a pair of hits, the largest coming off the bat of Cullen Gilbertson, a three-run homerun to right to quickly give the Vikings a 4-1 advantage.
 
That lead did not last long however, as North Central rallied to bat around in the top of the fifth inning.  With two runners on and one out, Sotiros lined a double to deep center field, scoring Jeremy Quade and Michael Mateja to cut the Viking lead 4-3.
 
Hill promptly followed with a single to center, scoring Sotiros while tying the score at four apiece, while Sing Fong lined the Cardinals' fourth consecutive hit of the inning, a single to right, and advanced two bases on another Viking error allowing Hill to come around and score.
 
Later in the inning, Adam Nelson reached base for the second time in the inning, this time drawing a bases loaded walk, after singling to lead off the inning, driving home Fong while increasing the Cardinal lead 6-4.
 
North Central continued the scoring in the top of the seventh, as Fong led off with a solo homerun over the center field fence, his first long ball of the season, while four extra base hits in the top of the eighth plated three more runs to give North Central a 10-4 lead.
 
Quade led off the eighth with a triple to center and came around to score on a Mateja double the following batter.  After a flyout, Hill doubled home Mateja, while Fong followed with a double of his own to score Hill.
 
The Cardinals added two more insurance runs in the top of the ninth for good measure, as Fong came through yet again, singling with two outs to drive home Mateja and Sotiros.
 
The two through five hitters in the Cardinal lineup finished a combined 16-for-23 (.696), as Fong and Hill each led the way going 5-for-6 from the plate.  Fong finished just a triple shy of the cycle, driving in four runs while scoring twice, while Hill also scored a pair of runs and drove in three.
 
Mateja added a 4-for-6 performance with three runs scored and a RBI from with dish, while Sotiros was 2-for-5 with a hit by pitch, three runs scored and two RBI.

Brett Pyburn earned his first victory of the season on the mound, scattering four hits over his six innings, allowing all four of his runs in the fourth inning.  Alex Schell and Fong combined to throw a scoreless final three innings.
 
North Central heads to Augustana College on Sunday, Apr. 9 for a pair of games at Swanson Stadium in Moline, Illinois, as game one of the twin bill is slated for 1 p.m.  Links to live in-game coverage are available HERE.