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

Box Score

CAROL STREAM, Ill. (Apr. 19, 2018) – Continuing to roll in College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) play, the North Central College baseball team completed the season sweep of Wheaton College on Thursday, as the offense punished Thunder pitching en route to a 14-2 victory.
 
North Central (15-7, 10-1 CCIW) has now scored double-digit runs in seven of the 10 conference wins, outscoring opponents 125-51 over the course of the first 11 CCIW contests.
 
The Cardinal offense racked up 16 hits, the 17^th-straight game with double-digit hits, while drawing nine walks on the evening, tallying three singles in the top of the first but stranded the bases loaded.
 
In the top of the second, Joe Rizzo shot a one-out single to right field and came around to score on a Matt Sutherland single down the right field line to open the scoring.
 
That opened the flood gates for the North Central offense, as Jeremy Quade doubled to left center, advancing Sutherland to third.  Eric Outlaw then made it 2-0 Cardinals with a RBI-groundout, before Michael Mateja drove home Quade with a two-out double to right center.
 
The scoring barrage continued in the top of the third for North Central, as John Carmody walked to lead off the frame, followed by a base hit off the bat of Colin Weilbacher.  Rob Marinec quickly followed with a bases-clearing double to left center and came around to score on a RBI-single from Quade two batters later.
 
After Outlaw was hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out, Sutherland trotted home on a passed ball after walking earlier in the inning, before Mateja drew another walk to load the bags yet again.  Mike Wisz then moved everyone up a base with a base hit to right, while a Thunder error plated the sixth and final run of the frame to give the Cardinals a 9-1 lead after just two and two-thirds innings.
 
The Cardinal offense carried that momentum into the top of the fourth, scoring a run without putting the ball in play, drawing four straight walks to plate a run, before Wisz sent all three runners home on a double to left center, padding the lead 13-1.
 
Another run added in the top of the fifth on a Quade sacrifice fly was more than enough insurance for starter Russell Hoh, allowing just four hits all evening, giving up two earned runs while striking out seven and walking none to improve to 3-0 on the season.
 
12 players accounted for the 16 Cardinal hits on the evening, led by a 3-for-5 performance from Wisz to go along with four RBI.  Mateja finished 2-for-3 with two walks, two RBI and one run scored, increasing his reached-base streak to 65 games.  Quade also recorded a pair of hits, scored three times and drove in two.

North Central travels to Carthage College this weekend, as the two teams are currently tied atop the CCIW standings, with game one of the twin bill slated for 12 p.m. on Saturday, Apr. 21 at Augie Schmidt Field.  Links to live in-game coverage are available HERE.