Contact: Nicholas Osterloo, Assistant Sports Information Director, 630-637-5324
Mar. 23, 2025 – Scoring the fifth most runs in a single inning in NCAA Division III history, the North Central College baseball team used a 20-run fourth inning to take down the Illinois Institute of Technology, 21-8 on Sunday night inside Zimmerman Stadium.
The Scarlet Hawks' first five batters of the game all recorded a hit as the visitors took a 3-0 lead early on. A fielder's choice in the second inning plated another IIT run to extend their lead.
The Cardinals pushed their first run across in the bottom of the second as Peyton Burgh led off with a bunt single. He stole second and scored on a Justin Lang RBI single to put the score at 4-1 after two innings of play.
IIT took advantage of two Cardinal errors to add three runs in the top of the third, pushing their lead to six, 7-1. In the top of the fourth, IIT used an RBI single to increase their advantage to seven.
Caleb Coberley singled to left field and moved to third on a throwing error by IIT. Lang walked to load the bases before Yuhki Yamada walked to score Coberley. Kolby Fujii pinch hit and belted a bases-clearing double to right center field fence to bring the Cardinals within three, 8-5. After the second Scarlet Hawk pitching change of the inning, John Michael Scumaci walked as Jackson Bland hit a two-run triple before an Austin Wienke RBI single knotted the contest at 8-8. Burgh singled to force IIT into another pitching change. Coberley greeted the new hurler with a two-run triple as he came around to score on an IIT error. With the bases loaded, Yamada hit a two-run double followed by another Fujii double to put North Central ahead by six, 14-8 Back-to-back Scarlet Hawk errors played two more runs before Wienke singled up the middle to score Bland. Following a fourth pitching change in the inning, Burgh belted a home run over the left field fence. Four more singles later, North Central took a 21-8 lead after a 20-run bottom of the fourth inning.
Jim Shortall, Ryan Gerdes and Camden Loomis kept IIT scoreless through the sixth inning before Elijah Hammond closed the door in the top of the seventh inning to secure the 21-8 victory for North Central.
Fujii led all players with five RBI on the day, all happening in the fourth inning. Wienke, Burgh and Coberley all scored five runs on the day offensively for North Central. Shortall picked up the win, throwing 2.1 innings, allowing just one run and striking out two. Jackson Nutter suffered the loss for IIT, allowing four runs and three hits in his appearance.
North Central heads to Carthage College to begin College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin play Tuesday afternoon with a 3 p.m. first pitch at Augie Schmidt Field in Kenosha, Wis. The Cardinals have won five straight games against the Firebirds.
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