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

Box Score

DECATUR, Ill. (May 8, 2021) – The North Central College softball team could not hang on to a two-run, seventh-inning lead on Saturday in the second round of the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Tournament, falling just short in its upset attempt of top-seeded Millikin University in a 7-6 final in 10 innings.

The Cardinals (21-19) generated some early magic as Jaime Smith singled with one out in the bottom of the third and proceeded to steal second ahead of Emily Miller who doubled to the left center field gap, opening the scoring 1-0.

With Kylie Ryza pinch running for Miller at second, Breanna Adams quickly gave the Cardinals a 2-0 lead with the second double of the inning, this time down the right field line to score Ryza.

After three shutout innings on the mound for Adams, the Big Blue (29-11) got on the board with a three-spot in the top of the fourth, but the lead was promptly erased by North Central in the bottom half as the Cardinals countered with three runs of their own.

With the bases full of Cardinals and one out in the frame, Katie Del Re singled up the middle to score a pair and regain the lead for North Central.  Smith then followed with a sacrifice fly to foul ground in right field, scoring Alexa Sherlund while increasing the Cardinal lead 5-3.

The two teams traded runs in the sixth as North Central took a 6-4 lead into the top of the seventh and Millikin was down to its last out as the first two batters of the inning were retired via groundout.  Maddie Holland extended the inning with a single, before Kailey Pulec doubled down the left field line to score
Holland and make it a one-run game. With the tying run on second, Skielyr Trenkle singled while Pulec scored on the play to suddenly tie the game 6-6.

After North Central went down in order in the bottom of the seventh, the game went to the 10^th before either team could push across a run and it was Millikin who struck in the top of the inning on a RBI-single with two outs as a lead-off walk came around to score what proved to be the game winning run as the Cardinals stranded the tying run on third to end the game in heart wrenching fashion.

Del Re finished 3-for-5 to lead the Cardinals offensively with a walk, two RBI and a run scored, while Adams was 2-for-4 with a walk and two RBI.

Adams was credited with the loss in the end, going 9 2/3 strong allowing six runs, four earned while striking out a pair.

The fifth-seeded Cardinals will take on seventh-seeded Wheaton College in an elimination game on Thursday, May 13 at 5 p.m. at Workman Family Field on the campus of host Millikin University.