Contact: Nicholas Osterloo, Assistant Sports Information Director, 630-637-5324
Mar. 23, 2025 – In a battle of Cardinals, the North Central College baseball team fell 7-6 to the St. Mary's (Minn.) University Cardinals, 7-6, on a chilly day at Pfund Stadium in Carol Stream.
North Central starter Chris Rogers worked out of a three-hit first inning from St. Mary's, thanks to a pickoff as the visitors were held scoreless. John Michael Scumaci launched a home run over the left field fence to give North Central a 1-0 advantage early on.
After a scoreless second, Justin Lang singled and moved to second on a Frankie Vallu sacrifice bunt. Lang advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a Parker Wyatt sacrifice fly. Scumaci led a two-out rally with a double to center field. Jackson Bland traded places with him thanks to an RBI double. After Austin Wienke singled, Peyton Burgh beat out an infield single to plate Bland from third as North Central took a 4-0 lead after three innings.
St. Mary's answered in the top of the fourth with two runs on four hits to cut the lead in half, 4-2. Rogers worked out of a leadoff double in the fifth before Scumaci reached on an error in the bottom of the frame. Bland singled to move Scumaci into scoring position. A Wienke RBI groundout plated Scumaci to increase the North Central advantage to three, 5-2.
In the top of the sixth, St. Mary's scored three runs on four hits including a home run to even the score at 5-5 after six innings. St. Mary's used a two-out rally to plate a run in the seventh on a walk, stolen base and RBI single to take a 6-5 lead.
Wienke singled to begin the bottom of the eighth inning and advanced to second on a Burgh single to right field. Henry Saul reached on a fielding error to lead the bases for Caleb Coberley who scored Wienke on a sacrifice fly to knot the contest at 6-6.
St. Mary's retook the lead on two hits and a stolen base to score a run and take a 7-6 lead. Wyatt reached on an error in the bottom of the ninth. Yuhki Yamada pinch ran to second and third on two passed balls. He was stranded on third as St. Mary's held on for a 7-6 win.
Scumaci, Bland, Wienke and Burgh tallied two hits and an RBI each with Scumaci scoring three runs in the game. Rogers threw five innings, allowing two runs and striking out two. Payton Diaz took the loss, allowing a run in his two innings of work, striking out three.
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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