Contact: Adam Poklop, Sports Information Graduate Assistant, 630-637-5302

NAPLES, Fla. (Mar. 15, 2019) – The North Central College softball team continued to roll through its competition at the Gene Cusic Classic Thursday, turning in a dominant performance to roll past the Nazareth College Golden Flyers by a 5-1 decision, improving to a perfect 4-0. 

Although their first game of the day came down to the wire, this matchup saw the Cardinals find a much easier path to victory thanks to a third-inning offensive outburst that broke the game wide open. After two scoreless innings, Emily Miller connected for a single and quickly reached third base off a wild pitch and fly-out. Wild pitches turned out be quite costly for the Golden Flyers, who allowed Miller and then Rachel Belletini—who had earned a walk—to each score on them. After the second run, Nazareth went with a new look on the rubber, but North Central's onslaught continued, as Samantha Gadomski hit an RBI single, bringing in Jamie Smith and Breanna Adams.

Nazareth's offense came alive in the fourth inning, which saw them amass three hits. One run in already with runners on the corners and just one out, but Gianna Corban maintained her composure to strike out two straight hitters before the Golden Flyers could do any more damage. North Central got a insurance run in the top of the fifth inning, with Molly Cann hitting a single up the middle that scored Jamie Smith.

Corban made quick work of Nazarath in the final two innings, allowing just one baserunner enroute to the final six outs. Improving to 2-0, Corban struck out six batters, while walking two and allowing five hits.

Miller and Smith led North Central batters with two hits apiece, while Gadomski had two runs batted in.  

North Central (4-0) looks to keep their perfect start going tomorrow, when they face University of Pittsburgh at Bradford (5-5) at 9 a.m. ET and then Crown College (3-3) at 11 a.m.