Contact: Nicholas Osterloo, Assistant Sports Information Director, 630-637-5324
CARBONDALE, Ill (Feb. 19, 2022) - Improving to 2-0 on the season, the North Central College baseball team used an eighth-inning home run off the bat of
Rob Marinec to break a 3-3 tie before
Nolan Shannon closed the door in the ninth to secure a 6-3 win.
Making his first start since March of 2021, Charlie Klemm threw the first two innings, allowing one run on two hits while striking out a Tiger batter.
In the bottom half of the first, John Petty singled and moved to second on a Dom Listi walk. Marinec followed that up with a single up the middle to load the bases. Justin Rios sent Petty to score on a ground ball and tied the game at 1-1. The Cardinals took their first lead of the game in the second when Michael Patterson hit an RBI-single to plate Brent Swenson.
Ryan Behling took the mound in the third inning and held the Tigers scoreless until the fifth inning when DePauw used two hits and a Cardinal error to retake the lead, 3-2. That score stayed put until the seventh inning.
To start the bottom of the seventh, Luke Lehnen was hit by the pitch and eventually advanced to third with two outs. Trey Roach hit a clutch two-out single to score Lehnen and tied the contest at 3-3.
After a scoreless top of the eighth from Behling, Petty singled to start the bottom half of the inning. Listi walked before Marinec belted a three-run home run over the left-field fence to put North Central on top, 6-3. Marinec sits at second all-time in program history for RBI's with 177 and is now alone for third in career home runs at 27.
Nolan Shannon came in for the save in the ninth inning. He struck out the first Tiger batter before retiring the next two to secure the 6-3 win.
Marinec went 2-for-4 with three RBI's while Petty scored twice. Earning the win for the Cardinals was Behling who threw six innings, struck out seven, and allowed two runs, one earned before Shannon earned the save in the ninth.
The Cardinals complete their trip to Carbondale tomorrow as they face Wilmington College at 1 PM.
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