Contact: Drew Sauer, Assistant Sports Information Director, 630-637-5324
Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score
Apr. 28, 2018 – Continuing to thwart College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) pitching, the North Central College baseball team cruised to a pair of victories over Elmhurst College on Saturday by scores of 8-2 and 12-1, capturing the sixth-straight conference series.
The Cardinals have posted a +105 run differential so far in conference play, outscoring opponents 173-68 while batting .111 points higher than opposing lineups.
North Central (21-9, 16-2 CCIW) made five early runs hold up in game one, as
Jeremy Quade led off the bottom of the first with a single to right field, while
Eric Outlaw and
Michael Mateja were each hit by a pitch on back-to-back pitches, loading the bases with nobody out.
Mike Wisz followed with a RBI-single to right, as the runners each moved up a base with Quade coming around to score.
John Carmody then plated Outlaw with a sacrifice fly to left field, followed by a RBI-base hit off the bat of
Rob Marinec. Two batters later,
Ryan Scott pulled a single through the left side, scoring Wisz and capping the four-run first inning, sending nine batters to the plate in all.
The Cardinals added another run in the bottom of the second to take a 5-0 lead, as Wisz plated Quade with a sacrifice fly to right after Quade singled to lead off the frame.
Elmhurst (19-15, 9-10 CCIW) got on the board with a run in each of the third and fifth innings, but Cardinal starter
Austin Polezoes was able to limit the damage, allowing just the two earned runs over his seven innings pitched.
The Cardinal offense added two insurance runs in the bottom of the seventh and one more in the eighth, while
Patrick Schaefer,
Anthony Serafini and
Colton West combined for the final six outs without allowing a base hit.
Polezoes improves to 3-0 on the season, scattering seven hits while striking out three and walking just one.
Four Cardinals finished with multiple hits in the opener, as Quade was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and Wisz was also 2-for-4 with three RBI and a run scored. Carmody and
Colin Weilbacher each added two hits and a RBI, while Scott finished 1-for-2 with a walk and two RBI.
North Central carried the momentum from the win in the opener into game two, jumping out to a 10-0 lead after the first three innings en route to the 12-1 victory in seven innings.
Quade and
Matt Sutherland each singled to start the bottom of the first, while Mateja was hit by a pitch to load the bases with nobody out. Wisz quickly put the Cardinals up 2-0, pulling a double down the left field line, scoring Quade and Sutherland, while Mateja came home on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Carmody to give North Central a 3-0 lead.
The Cardinals added another three runs in the bottom of the second on RBI-single up the middle off the bat of Quade after Scott and
Luke Gregorio each walked to lead off the frame. Later in the inning, Mateja and Wisz each drove in a run on back-to-back sacrifice flies to center field, increasing the lead 6-0.
The scoring did not stop there, as Gregorio scored Marinec on a fielder's choice in the third, while Weilbacher trotted home on a throwing error by the Elmhurst pitcher on an attempted pick-off at first base. Later in the frame, Wisz added to his CCIW-leading RBI total, driving in a pair more on a two-out single to left, putting the Cardinals ahead 10-0.
Elmhurst plated a run in the top of the fifth but that proved to be all the scoring the Bluejay offense would muster, as starter
Charlie Klemm improves to 5-1 on the season, tossing five innings of one-run ball, striking out five.
Wisz finished 2-for-3 with five RBI, totaling eight on the day, increasing his CCIW-lead to 50 on the season. Scott also finished 2-for-3 with a walk, run scored and RBI, while Quade finished 2-for-4 with three runs scored and one driven in.
North Central goes for the season sweep tomorrow, as the two teams are back at it at 1 p.m. at Elmhurst's Butterfield Park. The link to live in-game statistics is available
HERE.
