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

Box Score

Mar. 30, 2021 – Scoring early and often on Tuesday in their return to College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) play, the North Central College baseball team rolled to a 15-5 victory over Illinois Wesleyan University at Zimmerman Stadium.

The Titans (9-7, 4-4 CCIW) played some sloppy ball on Tuesday, committing four errors, hitting six batters and throwing seven wild pitches, and the Cardinal offense took full advantage to plate five runs in the first and eight runs on just two hits in the fourth.

North Central (10-3, 5-1 CCIW) sent 10 batters to the plate in the bottom of the first inning as the first five batters all reached base and scored.  Luke Lehnen led off with a single to right, followed by another base-hit from Justin Rios and a hit by pitch from Rob Marinec to load the bases with nobody out.

Dom Listi drove in the first run of the game with a bases loaded walk, before Colin Weilbacher scored a pair with double just inside the first base bag.  After Paul Beverly was hit by a pitch to load the bases once again, Brent Swenson sent Listi home on a sacrifice fly to center, while Michael Stoltz capped the scoring in the first with a RBI-base hit through the left side two batters later, giving North Central an early 5-0 lead.

The Cardinals tacked on another run in the bottom of the second on a RBI-double from Listi, scoring Rios who singled to lead off the frame.

Illinois Wesleyan cut the lead in half with a run in the third and two more in the top of the fourth, but the Cardinals responded with eight runs in the bottom half of the fourth, taking advantage of a three Titan errors to put the game out of reach.

Sending 12 batters to the plate in the fourth, eight of the first nine batters of the inning reached and scored, as Rios was hit by a pitch, Marinec was intentionally walked, and Listi hit by another pitch loaded the bags without the Cardinals recording a hit.

Weilbacher then drove in two more with a single to right center, ahead of Beverly who reached on an error on a sacrifice bunt attempt while Listi came around to score on the second error on the same play as the Titan pitcher threw the ball away at first after the fielding error on the bunt attempt.

Following a pitching change, Weilbacher trotted home on a wild pitch, while Stoltz reached on the third Titan error of the inning and drove in Beverly in the process.  After Lehnen walked to load the bases once again, Swenson scored on yet another wild pitch, before Rios plated Stoltz with a sacrifice fly to left.  Marinec finished the scoring in the fourth with a RBI-single up the middle to score Lehnen and increase the Cardinal lead 14-3.

The Titans pushed across two runs in the top of the seventh, before Listi ended the game in the bottom half with a RBI-triple to right center, scoring Michael Davis who reached on a fielder's choice earlier in the inning.

The Cardinals scored 15 runs on 10 hits in the game, led by a 2-for-2 showing from Weilbacher with four RBI, two runs scored and a walk.  Rios was also 2-for-2, adding a sacrifice fly, hit by pitch, three runs scored and RBI.

Listi was 2-for-3 with a double, triple, walk, hit by pitch, three RBI and two runs scored, while Stoltz drove in a pair and Marinec and Lehnen each scored twice.

Luke Lamm earned the win on the mound, improving to 4-0 on the season, allowing three runs, only one earned, over his five innings of work with three strikeouts.

North Central returns to Zimmerman Stadium on Friday, Apr. 2, hosting Carroll University with game one of the doubleheader scheduled for 12 p.m.