Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. (Mar. 19, 2024) - Tuesday's College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) opener met with mixed results for the North Central College softball team Tuesday, as the Cardinals split a double header with the Augustana College Vikings at Carver Field.

The Cardinals (13-3, 1-1 CCIW) opened the day with a thrilling 2-1 victory in eight innings before Augustana rallied to post a 2-0 win in the second game.

Tuesday's first contest was a pitcher's duel between the Cardinals' Juliana Maude and Augustana's Nadia Ranieri, as neither hurler allowed a run throughout the seven innings of regulation play. After yielding a single to Ranieri to open the home half of the first inning, Maude retired the next 21 Vikings batters in succession, though Ranieri kept the visitors off the board as well.

Gracie Vlach led off the eighth inning with a double to center field to give the Cardinals a runner in scoring position for just the fourth time in the game. With one out in the inning, Talia Torosian stepped to the plate and launched the first pitch over the left-field fence, putting North Central ahead, 2-0, with her second home run of the season and 10th of her career.

The Vikings (6-4, 1-1) were able to plate a run in the home half of the eighth before Maude closed out the victory to improve to 6-0 on the season, striking out six and walking none while allowing just three hits.

North Central was able to put runners in scoring position just twice in the nightcap as Viking pitcher Lauren Koster scattered six hits with no walks. Singles by Lauren Bowmar and Kayla Crabtree gave the Cardinals runners on the corners in the second inning with one out before a strikeout and foulout derailed the rally. Base hits by Bowmar and Torosian put runners on first and third in the sixth with two away.

Bowmar and Katie Del Re each went 2 for 3 in the second game. Taylor Warren pitched the first 4-2/3 innings and was assigned the loss (5-2), permitting two runs on three hits while striking out five and walking two, while Sam Schilf set the Vikings down in order for the final 2-1/3 innings with four strikeouts.

The Cardinals are idle until Wednesday, Mar. 27, when they travel to Bedrosian Stadium in Aurora for a non-conference twin bill against Aurora University (11-3). Click HERE for the full 2024 schedule and live coverage options. 

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