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

Box Score

CARBONDALE, Ill. (Feb. 24, 2019) – Finishing the weekend an unblemished 3-0, the North Central College baseball team rolled Blackburn University, 20-7 on Sunday in the finale of the weekend series held at Itchy Jones Stadium on the campus of Southern Illinois University.

North Central (3-0) started the game with a 4-1 lead as Rob Marinec drove home the game's first run with a RBI-single in the top of the first and advance to third on an error by the Blackburn left fielder. John Carmody then followed with a sacrifice fly, scoring Marinec while giving the Cardinals a 2-0 lead.

Blackburn gained one of those runs back in the bottom of the frame on a pair of hits, but North Central rallied for two more in the top of the third as Jeremy Quade sparked a one-out rally with a triple to right field.  After Marinec was intentionally walked, a failed pickoff attempt allowed Quade to score while Marinec advanced to third on the play.

Carmody followed with a base on balls to put runners on first and third when the pair pulled off a double steal, with Marinec swiping home on the attempt to nab Carmody at second, increasing the lead 4-1.

Blackburn (0-3) proceeded to go on a rally of their own, plating three runs in the bottom of the third to knot the game at four, before a solo homerun off the bat of Tyler Jackson in the bottom of the fourth to overtake the lead 5-4.

The Cardinal deficit did not last long however, as Marinec trotted home on a wild pitch in the top of the fifth after reaching via single earlier in the inning, once again knotting the score 5-5.

North Central then proceeded to plate six more runs over the next three innings including a two-RBI double from Quade in the sixth, while Joe Rizzo led off the seventh with a double, stole third and came home on a Eric Outlaw sacrifice fly.  Later in the seventh, North Central plated a pair of unearned runs as a costly Beaver error led to the two runs scoring.

In the top of the eighth, Jared Wojcik led off with a pinch hit single up the middle, advanced to second on a Rizzo walk and scored on a single off the bat of Outlaw a few pitches later to extend the North Central lead 11-5.

Blackburn pushed across two more in the bottom of the eighth to draw to within four, but North Central put the game out of reach with a nine-run ninth, drawing six walks while recording four hits and a hit by pitch in the frame.

Four Cardinals finished with multiple hits, as Rizzo led the way finishing 3-for-3 from the plate with three walks, two runs scored, two stolen bases and a RBI.  Rizzo was also 2-for-2 in nabbing suspected base stealers  Sutherland finished 2-for-3 with four walks, four runs scored, a steal and RBI, while Quade added three hits, four RBI, two runs scored and a walk.  Marinec was intentionally walked twice while adding two hits, three runs scored and one driven in.

North Central recorded more base on balls than hits in the contest, drawing 15 walks while tallying 14 hits.  The Cardinals also took advantage of six Blackburn errors on the afternoon, leading to six unearned runs.

John Clifford earned the victory on the mound for North Central, tossing three scoreless frames in relief of starter Luke Lamm who was credited with a no decision after allowing five runs, four earned over his four innings.

North Central has one more game on the schedule before departing for their spring trip to Florida, as the Cardinals are set to host Rockford University on Saturday, Mar. 2 at 12 p.m. at Zimmerman Stadium.