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

Game one box score
Game two box score

DECATUR, Ill. (8 April 2017) – Resuming College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) play after two non-conference losses, the North Central College softball team fell to conference undefeated opponent Millikin University 4-3 in game one before losing 8-0 in game two at Rotary Park on Saturday afternoon.

In an exciting opener, the Cardinals and Big Blue battled until the final inning as North Central found themselves on the wrong end of a walk-off winner. With the bases loaded in the first inning, Molly Price stepped up to deliver an RBI-single to left field to plate Jenna Trojniar for the 1-0 lead. Millikin would answer in the second with a run of their own courtesy of an RBI groundout to Cardinal pitcher Jennifer Yager.

It would take until the sixth inning to break the tie but the Big Blue added another run using two hits and an error by North Central but the Cardinals fought back. In the top of the seventh, back to back doubles from Samantha Phelps and Brooke Kehoe would tie the score and an Anna Seffernick single scored Kehoe to take the lead. With two outs and a runner on first, Millikin would prove why they are undefeated in conference as Kalli Farmer would ensure extra innings with a RBI-triple. Chelsea Eads then singled to score the winning run and keep their undefeated record in conference in tack.

Yager (3-4) received the loss for the Cardinals, allowing four earned runs on 11 hits and one walk while striking out two. Cathy Lebryk moved to 9-3 with the victory.
Marissa Padilla led all hitters with a 3-for-4 performance from the plate while Seffernick and Phelps paced the Cardinals with two hits apiece.

The Big Blue (20-8, 6-0) kept the same pace of their offense in game two, recording ten hits in six innings while the Cardinals couldn't string together any threats, being shutout 8-0. Millikin scored one run in each of the first three innings, while the Cardinals tallied just two hits in the first half of the game. Millikin would blow the game open with a five run sixth inning, taking advantage of two miscues from the Cardinals along with five hits to take the decisive 8-0 victory.

Trojniar would record two of the Cardinals five hits with Taylor Clugston, Sarah Esposito and Phelps all adding one.

The Cardinals (12-11, 3-3) travel to River Forest to conclude the second half of game two against Concordia University Chicago. North Central defeated the Cougars 6-2 in game one on March 29. Live stats can be found HERE.