Contact: Sam Fretto, Sports Information Graduate Assistant, sjfretto@noctrl.edu

KISSIMMEE, Fla. (Mar. 8, 2025)- Behind stellar pitching and a 3-run home run for Talia Torosian, the North Central College softball team was able to pick up their first victory of the 2025 season. The Cardinals played two games today in THE Spring Games Saturday, falling in nine innings, 6-5 against Wheaton College (Mass.) but coming away with an 8-2 victory on Western New England University.

In game one, the Cardinals (1-3) and Lyons (2-0) exchanged blows after Hailey Morsovillo hit an RBI single to plate Torosian, tying the game at 1-1 in the top of the third. The Lyons retook the lead in the bottom of the fourth, moving the score to 2-1, before Lauren Bowmar drove in Kayla Crabtree on a groundout to the shortstop. The Cardinals pushed the game to extra innings by tying it 3-3 in the top of the sixth with a Torosian RBI single that scored Ronnie Latka. 

The Cardinals regained the advantage, 5-3, in the top of the ninth inning thanks to an RBI groundout from Mosrovillo and the first home run of the Cardinals season courtesy of Rachael Madsen. Ultimately, Juliana Maude failed to put the Lyons away in the bottom of the ninth, surrendering an RBI double to Ella Molinari, walking in the tying run, and giving up the walk-off RBI single to Jillian Rohon for the 6-5 final.

North Central turned their fortunes in the second game of the afternoon, clashing with the Golden Bears (1-1). The Cardinals jumped on starting pitcher Ava Blanchard in the bottom of the third inning after a Latka sacrifice bunt forced a throwing error on second baseman Kim Baumann, allowing Sydney Nienhouse to score from third. A few batters later, Torosian hit her first home run of the season, a three-run blast, scoring Gracie Vlach and Sarah Lynch. The lead for North Central was 4-0. 

The Golden Bears clawed back into it, scoring two in the top of the fifth inning, making it a 4-2 ballgame. This was the closest it would ever get as the Cardinals added a Caroline Dooley RBI double in the bottom half of the fifth, extending the lead to 5-2. From there, North Central added three more in the bottom of the sixth from a Torosian two-RBI double and a Madsen RBI single.

Sam Schilf got the start, going three innings and giving up just three hits and one strikeout. Maude received the win, pitching four innings, punching out three, and giving up two runs with only one being earned. Torosian tacked on two hits, both extra base hits, with five RBIs and two runs scored. In her first collegiate start, Nienhouse got her first two career hits, going two for three, and scored a run. 

The Cardinals continue play in Florida Sunday, Mar. 9, as they take on Penn State Behrend with a first pitch time of 11:30 a.m. (ET) and Washington College (Md.) with first pitch set for 2 p.m. (ET). Click HERE for the full schedule. 

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