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

Box Score

ELMHURST, Ill. (Apr. 29, 2018) – Outscoring Elmhurst College, 32-5 over the three-game set, the North Central College baseball team rolled to its fifth College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) sweep of the season, tying the program record with 17 conference wins so far this season.
 
The Cardinals (22-9, 17-2 CCIW) scored early and often, plating a run in five of the first six innings, pounding the Bluejays for 14 hits over the seven inning game.
 
Generating a two-out run in the top of the first, Jeremy Quade led off with a single to center, stole second and came around to score on a Mike Wisz double to right center two batters later.
 
Taking advantage of a hit by pitch and walk to start the second inning, Ryan Scott doubled to deep left field to score Rob Marinec and Colin Weilbacher to give North Central an early 3-0 lead.
 
In the top of the third, Michael Mateja led off with a single the other way, before advancing to third on a John Carmody base hit through the right side.  Mateja then dashed home on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Marinec to pad the lead 4-0.
 
The Bluejays (19-16, 9-11 CCIW) got on the board in the bottom of the third on a solo homerun off the bat of Trey Compton, but the Cardinals countered with a five-run top of the fifth, stringing together six hits.
 
Matt Sutherland singled to lead off the frame, followed by a base knock from Mateja and a bases-clearing double off the bat of Wisz, his second double of the game.  Two batters later Wisz came home to score on a base hit from Marinec.
 
Weilbacher then singled to right center to put runners on first and third, before Scott plated Marinec with a RBI-groundout.  Luke Gregorio capped the five-run frame with a RBI-single to center, scoring Weilbacher while increasing the Cardinal lead 9-1.
 
Elmhurst scored another run in the bottom of the fifth on the second solo homerun of the day for Compton, but once again the Cardinals responded with three runs the following half inning on RBI-hits from Marinec and Weilbacher to put the game out of reach.
 
All nine batters in the Cardinal lineup finished with a hit and either a run scored or RBI, led by three RBI apiece from Wisz, Marinec and Scott.  Wisz finished 2-for-4, while his 53 RBI this season currently rank ninth on the program's single-season list.
 
Marinec finished 2-for-2 from the plate with three RBI and three runs scored, while Weilbacher was 2-for-3 with a walk, two runs scored and two RBI.  Mateja also added a pair of hits and runs scored, while Sutherland also added a pair of base hits.

John Clifford earned the victory on the mound, allowing just the two earned runs over his five innings of work, striking out seven.  Jason Shanner and Nick Rogalski each tossed scoreless innings to close out the contest.
 
North Central now heads to Illinois Wesleyan University on Tuesday, May 1, finishing up the suspended game from Apr. 10 in the seventh inning with the Cardinals leading 8-4, with the series finale to be contested 30 minutes after the conclusion.  Links to live in-game coverage are available HERE.