Contact: Nicholas Osterloo, Sports Information Graduate Assistant, 630-637-5302

NAPERVILLE, Ill. (Apr. 27th, 2021) - Leading for a majority of the game, the North Central College softball team fell to top-seeded Millikin on Wednesday afternoon as the Big Blue put together a seven-run seventh inning to win 8-7, and remain atop the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) standings.

The Cardinals struck first as Talia Torosian belted her third home run of the season to give North Central a 1-0 lead. After a scoreless third inning, Katie Del Re used a bunt single to get the inning started, before stealing second base. Both Jaime Smith and Emily Miller reached to load the bases for Breanna Adams. She hit an RBI single to score Del Re. 

With the bases loaded in the bottom of the third, there was a 29-minute rain delay to allow for the storm to pass. Continuing her at-bat, she hit a base-clearing double to give the Cardinals a 5-0 advantage after three innings of play. Del Re led off the fourth inning with a solo shot to left field to increase the lead for North Central.

Millikin broke the shutout in the sixth as Lexus Tennison walked with the bases loaded. In the top half of the seventh, the Big Blue continued their momentum as they hit back-to-back two-run singles to bring the game with two, 4-6. Following a fielder's choice, Gretchen Gould tied the game with a two-run single of her own. The Big Blue added two more runs in the inning to take an 8-6 lead into the last half-inning.

Elena Stevenson reached on a Big Blue error, allowing for Adams to score following her single earlier in the inning. With the tying runner just 60-feet away, the Cardinals were unable to tie the game in the bottom of the seventh as they fell 8-7.

North Central completes the season series with Wheaton College tomorrow afternoon. The first pitch is set for 3:00 PM.

Download the free North Central Cardinals app, available for iOS and Android devices, to receive up-to-the-minute news, scores, and updates on your favorite North Central teams. Click HERE for more information.