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

KISSIMMEE, Fla. (Mar. 8, 2024) - Enjoying a prosperous start to its 2024 season, the North Central College softball team prevailed in two games at THE Spring Games Friday, defeating Illinois College, 8-2, before a 6-1 victory over Defiance College (Ohio) at the Fortune Road Athletic Complex.

After three scoreless innings in the opener, the Cardinals put up three runs in the fourth inning. Katie Del Re singled to lead off the inning and stole second base before scoring the season's first run on a single through the left side by Talia Torosian. With two outs and the bases loaded, Lauren Bowmar came through with an RBI single and Emma Friedlund drew a walk to bring home Kayla Crabtree and Hailey Morsovillo.

A single and stolen base by Gracie Vlach set the stage for another North Central tally in the fourth as Morsovillo drove Vlach home with a sacrifice fly. The Lady Blues (4-9) scored twice in the sixth inning before the Cardinals tacked on four more runs to halt the comeback attempt.

Bowmar led off the bottom half of the frame with a base hit and scored on Del Re's single before Torosian belted a three-run home run over the left-center field fence with two away. The homer is Torosian's ninth as a Cardinal, tied for 10th-most in the program's history.

Torosian went 3 for 4 at the plate, while Bowmar was 2 for 3 and Del Re and Vlach each went 2 fo4 4. Juliana Maude was the winning pitcher, scattering six hits and striking out five in a complete-game effort. 

North Central seized control early against Defiance with five runs in the first two innings. Vlach scored on an error and Morsovillo contributed an RBI groundout in the first. Del Re drove in a run with a bunt in the second before Toosley and Vlach each scored on errors. Vlach drove in Sarah Lynch with a fielder's choice in the fourth before the Yellow Jackets (3-6) scored their lone run in the bottom of the inning.

Toosley went 3 for 3 in the Cardinals' nightcap while Lynch was 2 for 3. Taylor Warren drew the start and pitched three shutout innings, yielding two hits, before Caroline Dooley allowed one run on two hits in the next three frames and Sam Schilf pitched a scoreless seventh.

The Cardinals are back in action Saturday, taking on Plymouth State University (New Hampshire) at 10:00 a.m. (Eastern time) before facing Roger Williams University (Rhode Island) at 12:15 p.m. Live video coverage is available on a pay-per-view basis at www.flosoftball.com. 

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