Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302
PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. (Mar. 20, 2018) - The North Central College baseball team had its resolve tested on Monday with a 20-4 setback against Denison University (Ohio), but fought back on Tuesday to take down the No. 7-ranked College of Wooster (Ohio), 16-11, with a furious ninth-inning rally at North Charlotte Regional Park.
Denison (7-3) jumped on the Cardinals early on Monday, scoring 11 times on nine hits and two walks in the third and fourth innings and never letting North Central up for air. The Cardinals were able to plate four runs in the eighth inning as
Zach Sefcik smacked a two-run double to break up the shutout.
Michael Namoff followed with an RBI single which scored
Ryan Scott, and Sefcik was called safe due to interference on the same play.
Mike Wisz went 3 for 3 at the plate in the game, while
Foster Heise was 2 for 2 and
Michael Mateja went 2 for 3.
Rob Marinec put the Cardinals in front early in Tuesday's game with a three-run home run in the second inning, his third of the young season. Wooster (5-3) got a solo homer from first baseman Dan Harwood in the bottom half of the inning, then scored five times in the third, getting a two-run shot from Harwood, to pull in front, 6-3. North Central leveled the score at 6-6 in the fourth when
Eric Outlaw drove in a run with a single and Mateja delivered a two-run double, both with two outs.
The Scots pulled in front once again with a two-run sixth inning, but North Central's
John Carmody erased the deficit in the seventh with a two-run homer, his first of 2018. Wooster took the lead one final time in the eighth, crossing the plate three times, leaving it just three outs from closing out the win.
Mateja led off the ninth with a base hit, and Wisz reached on an error before
Colin Weilbacher's single brought home Mateja. Marinec was walked to load the bases and Sefcik, coming on as a pinch hitter, and
Jeremy Quade both drew free passes as well to push home two more runs and tie the score at 11-11. Marinec scored what wound up being the game-winning run on a passed ball before Mateja strode to the plate for his second at-bat of the inning and sent a 3-1 pitch over the center-field fence for a grand slam, his second home run of the campaign.
Mateja went 4 for 5 at the plate for the Cardinals (3-5), while Marinec and Carmody each went 2 for 4.
Nick Rogalski pitched the final 1 2/3 innings in relief and was credited with the win, while
Jason Shanner came on to strike out the Scots' final batter to earn the save.
North Central closes out its Spring Break trip Wednesday with a rematch against Wooster, beginning at 11:00 a.m. Eastern time.
