Contact: Taiah Gallisath, Sports Information Graduate Assistant, 630-637-5302

DECATUR, Ill. (May. 7, 2022) - The North Central College softball team is championship bound after coming away with two wins on day two of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Tournament. The Cardinals defeated both Carroll University and Millikin University in single-run games to advance to the title game. 

The Cardinals matched hit-for-hit in their first match-up of the day with Caroll (20-15, 11-5 CCIW) with both teams recording three hits. The Pioneers found their closest opportunity to score in the fourth inning as Madison Wagner led off with a double followed by a Bridget Rath single to put two runners on. A line out to Breanna Adams at first halted Carroll's efforts, leaving the two Pioneers stranded heading into the fifth.

Two quick ground outs in the fifth inning put the Cardinals in seemingly critical condition as Alexa Sherlund stepped into the batter's box. Sherlund's single to right-center was followed by a walk for Katie Del Re to put two runners on as Sarah Lynch's hit drew an error on Carroll's third basemen. Sherlund managed to score on the error putting the Cardinals up 1-0 for the remainder of the contest.

Sherlund recorded two of the Cardinal's three hits, while Talia Torosian picked up the third. Adams started in the pitching circle for the Cardinals throwing for three innings recording one strikeout and allowing two hits. Gianna Corban pitched the last four innings, tallying five strikeouts and allowing only one hit to be credited with the win (15-4).

Game two followed suit with many scoreless innings and runners on both sides struggling to find themselves in scoring position. Millikin (32-7, 13-3 CCIW) took advantage of a walk right out of the gate in the first inning and advanced their runner on a sacrifice bunt. A fly-out to center field gave the Big Blue a chance to move the runner to third but a second fly-out to second base ended the inning with one runner left on.

With neither team able to move runners past second base for most of the contest, the possibility of extra innings seemed likely. That is until North Central began their final at-bat with a Jaime Smith single up the middle. Alyssa Sturino put down a perfectly-executed bunt to have runners on first and second with no outs. Torosian, the team lead in sacrifice bunts this season, did exactly that to move Smith and Sturino further. With only one out, Allison Lambert hit a clutch single into shallow left-center to score Smith, securing the win and advancing North Central to the title game.

Five Cardinals totaled the team's five hits against the Big Blue. Corban pitched all seven innings, recording six strikeouts and allowing only four hits to bring her record to 16-4 this season.

North Central battles the Illinois Wesleyan Titans for the CCIW title in tomorrow's championship game at 11 a.m. at Workman Family Field in Decatur, Ill. 

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