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

Box Score

WESTFIELD, Ind. (Mar. 12, 2021) – Squaring off with 17^th-ranked Adrian College in a top-25 matchup on Friday at Grand Park, the third-ranked North Central College baseball team found itself on the wrong end of a 4-0 final to suffer its first loss of the season.
 
The Cardinals (2-1) were stifled by Bulldog pitching all afternoon long, as Pierce Banks and Kyle Goldberg combined on the shutout, allowing just two North Central hits.
 
Cardinal starter Charlie Klemm started strong with six strikeouts through the first three innings but found himself in some trouble in the fourth, as a hit by pitch and a base hit put runners on first and second with no outs.
 
The Bulldogs plated an unearned run on a crazy play the following batter, as Sean O'Keefe laid down a sacrifice bunt but the subsequent throw to first sailed past Paul Beverly at first base allowing a run to score from second.  O'Keefe was then called out on the play after he missed first base en route to taking second.
 
With two outs and a runner still on third, Ty Peck plated the second Adrian run of the inning with a double off the center field fence to put North Central in a 2-0 hole.
 
Adrian (5-2) added another run in the top of the fifth, stringing together three singles to push across a run and extend the Cardinal deficit 3-0.
 
Banks kept the Cardinals off kilter all afternoon long, allowing just two singles, one in the first and one in the fifth, while striking out nine over his seven innings.
 
North Central was held hitless over the final four innings of the game while the Bulldogs added an insurance run in the top of the ninth.
 
Klemm was charged with the loss, allowing three runs, two earned, on nine hits over his 4 1/3 innings with eight strikeouts.
 
Beverly and Joe Rizzo had the hits on offense for North Central, while the top four batters in the Adrian lineup combined for 10 of the 12 hits on the afternoon.
 
North Central returns to Grand Park on Sunday, Mar. 14, taking on Spalding University (Kentucky) at 1 p.m. (ET) and Wabash College (Indiana) at 4 p.m. (ET).