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

Box Score

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. (Mar. 1, 2020) – Continuing its hot start to the season, the North Central College baseball team was clicking on all cylinders on Sunday, opening its annual Spring Break trip to the Snowbird Baseball Classic with a 10-0 shutout of Otterbein University at North Charlotte Regional Park.

Enjoying the first bit of warm weather this season, the Cardinal bats caught fire from the opening inning, jumping out to a 7-0 lead after two.  Colin Weilbacher walked to lead off the game while Justin Rios followed with a single to left center, advancing Weilbacher to third.

Rob Marinec quickly followed with a run-scoring single to center, scoring Weilbacher to give North Central the lead just three batters into the contest.  Joe Rizzo then walked to load the bases before Eric Outlaw drove home a pair two batters later with a base hit, while Jared Wojcik capped the scoring in the first with an infield single to score Rizzo.

Carrying that momentum into the second, Rios led off with a double to right-center, while Rizzo walked and John Carmody was hit by a pitch to load the bases with one away.  Following an Otterbein (3-2) pitching change, Outlaw promptly welcomed the new hurler to the game with a bases-clearing double down the left field line to push the score to 7-0.

That run support was all the Cardinal pitching staff needed as Luke Lamm was in control over his five innings, scattering five hits while striking out a pair to earn his first win of the season.  Joe Kaminski, Joe McKermitt, Tyler Jones and Tim Davoren finished off the final four innings without surrendering a hit, combining for five punch outs to preserve the shutout.

Just for good measure, the offense added a run in the fifth on a RBI-single from Weilbacher, while Dom Listi drove home two more in the sixth with a triple to center field.

On the afternoon, Outlaw paced the offense with five runs batted in while going 2-for-4 from the plate.  Rios and Wojcik also both finished 2-for-4 from the dish with two runs scored apiece, while Marinec added a 2-for-5 performance with a run and RBI.

Rizzo reached base on four occasions, walking three times while going 1-for-2 from the plate, while Carmody added a 1-for-3 showing and tied the program's career hit by pitch record with his 31^st career bean ball.

With a day off tomorrow, North Central (4-0) returns to play on Tuesday, Mar. 3, taking on Saint John's University (Minnesota) at 1 p.m. (ET) at North Charlotte Regional Park #9.  The game will be broadcast live at wonc.org.

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