Contact: Nicholas Osterloo, Assistant Sports Information Director, 630-637-5324
PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. (Mar. 10, 2024) - The North Central College baseball team fell behind early to Babson College on Sunday afternoon in the Snowbird Baseball Classic and could not overcome the early deficit, falling 5-3.
Elijah Hammond forced a double play to end the top of the first inning before the Beavers loaded the bases on a double and two walks an inning later. Babson scored the first runs of the game in the second inning, leading 2-0.
Both the Cardinals and Beavers went 1-2-3 in the following half innings of play. Peyton Burgh and Joe Hamilton drew walks to open the third, but North Central could not capitalize to keep the score at 2-0.
Hammond posted another three-up, three-down inning, but the Cardinals also went down in order in the fourth.
The Beavers added an insurance run in the top of the fifth on a walk, sacrifice bunt, and a single to extend their lead to 3-0.
Burgh walked and came around to score on a Hamilton double to center field, putting North Central on the scoreboard. After a fielder's choice ended Hamilton's time on the base paths, Luke Lehnen stole second and advanced to third base on a passed ball, but was left stranded at third as the Cardinals trailed 3-0 after five innings.
Trey Roach hit a leadoff double to begin the sixth, but again he was left stranded, keeping the score at 3-0.
In the eighth, Babson loaded the bases and tacked on an additional run before adding another run in the ninth to take a 5-1 advantage.
North Central threatened in the bottom of the ninth as Hamilton walked and Lehnen reached on an error. Hamilton scored on a Taylor Kujak single and Lehnen crossed home plate on a sacrifice fly from Roach. The tying run came up to the plate in Michael Davis, but the Beavers secured the victory, 5-3 and staved off the North Central comeback.
Kujak, Roach and Hamilton recorded the Cardinals' three hits while Hamilton scored and drove in a run. Hammond pitched six innings, allowing three runs and striking out four. He fell to 0-2 while James Clark moved to 1-1 for the Beavers.
North Central takes on the United States Merchant Marine Academy tomorrow for the first time in program history. That game is set for 5 p.m. (ET) at Centennial Park Field 10 in Port Charlotte, Fla.
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