Contact: Nicholas Osterloo, Assistant Sports Information Director, 630-637-5324
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Mar. 2, 2024) - Taking on two nationally ranked teams on the same day, the North Central College baseball team posted a comeback 4-3 victory over No. 11 University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point before running out of gas in game two and losing 15-7 to No. 10 Denison University on Saturday at the Derby City Classic.
Starting pitcher Elijah Hammond worked out of an early jam to keep the Pointers scoreless in the first inning. In the second, UW-Stevens Point loaded the bases with nobody out, but Hammond and the Cardinal defense worked to allow just one run in the inning.
Following a few scoreless innings, Peyton Burgh sparked North Central's offense with a leadoff double in the fifth. He moved over to third base on a passed ball before Jack Oberli drew a walk to put runners on the corners. Oberli stole second base as Burgh came around to score on an error from the Pointer catcher to even the game at 1-1. Luke Lehnen beat out an infield single to allow Oberli to score and put North Central on top. Trey Roach followed that up with an RBI triple off the center field wall to plate Lehnen and give the Cardinals a 3-1 lead.
UW-Stevens Point used an RBI double and a fielder's choice to knot the contest at 3-3 and chase Hammond out of the game. Brian Duvall came in with runners on the corners, but kept the Pointers off of the board in the sixth.
Oberli led off the seventh with a walk and advanced to second base on a Vincent Merlo sacrifice bunt. Lehnen delivered a clutch two-out RBI single to plate Oberli and give the Cardinals a 4-3 lead.
Duvall held the Pointers scoreless in the seventh before recording two outs in the eight. Head coach Ed Mathey turned the ball over to Lehnen who secured the final four outs of the game by tallying three strikeouts in his appearance to earn the save and secure North Central's 4-3 victory.
Lehnen drove in two runs and scored a run while Oberli scored twice and drew two walks in the game. Duvall picked up the first win of his college career by throwing 2.1 innings with four strikeouts and no runs allowed. Hammond threw 5.1 innings with three earned runs allowed. Lehnen claimed the save with 1.1 innings of work.
After Denison scored a run in the first inning, Lehnen and Roach singled to put runners on the corners with nobody out. Jackson Bland delivered an RBI single to left field to even the score before Roach scored on a Big Red error to put North Central in front, 2-1.
Bollman posted a three-up, three-down second inning and held Denison scoreless over the next two innings.
In the fourth, Bland reached on a hit by pitch and Burgh hit a single through the left side to begin the inning. After moving ahead on a groundout, Joe Hamilton hit a two-run single to left field, extending the Cardinals' lead to three, 4-1. Lehnen hit another single to right field before Hamilton scored on a Roach single over the outstretched arm of the second baseman, adding to the Cardinal lead.
Denison fought back in the top of the sixth by scoring four runs to even the game at 5-5 before tacking on two more in the seventh to retake the lead, 7-5.
Lehnen hit a leadoff single in the bottom half of the seventh. After moving to second base, John Michael Scumaci hit Lehnen home on a single down the right field line. Bland put runners on the corners with a single, but the Cardinals could not capitalize on the opportunity and went to the eighth down, 7-6.
The Big Red opened the game in the top of the eighth by pushing eight runs across to take command of the contest. North Central added a run in the bottom half of the eight, but it wouldn't be enough as Denison won, 15-7.
Lehnen led all batters with three hits in the game, adding two runs and an RBI. Hamilton drove in two runs as well.
Andrew Bollman struck out five in 5.2 innings pitched, allowing four runs.
Anthony Raineri suffered the loss.
The Cardinals head to Florida to begin their spring break trip at the Snowbird Baseball Classic. North Central faces its third straight ranked opponent by taking on No. 20 Marietta College at 10 a.m. (ET) in Port Charlotte, Fla at Centennial Park Field 10.
Download the free North Central Cardinals app, available for iOS and Android devices, to receive up-to-the-minute news, scores and updates on your favorite North Central teams. Click HERE for more information.
