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

CLERMONT, Fla. (Mar. 9, 2025)- Improving their record to 3-3 in the early season, the North Central College softball team swept the day with a 5-4 victory over Penn State Behrend and an 8-7 win against Washington College (Md.) at Hancock Park during THE Spring Games Sunday. 

The Cardinals kicked off game one with their first six batters reaching base safely and jumping out to a 4-1 lead after one inning of play against the Lions (1-1). In the inning, four different Cardinals recorded an RBI. Talia Torosian drove in the first run for North Central with an RBI double to right field, bringing in Gracie Vlach. Hailey Morsovillo scored the next RBI with a single to center field, driving in Sarah Lynch, followed by a Rachael Madsen RBI double, which plated Torosian and a Kayla Crabtree RBI single, scoring Sydney Nienhouse, who came in to pinch run for Morsovillo. 

Sam Schilf, getting the start, cruised through four innings, giving up just one run, before getting into a fifth inning jam. With one out in the top of the fifth, Schilf gave up a three-run home run to cut the lead to 5-4. Juliana Maude came in to relieve Schilf and locked it down for the remainder of the game. In 2 and 2/3 innings pitched, Maude struck out five and let up just four base runners as she earned the save. Schilf earned her first win of the season, moving her record to 1-1. 

It was an all-around effort for the Cardinals offense as Vlach, Lynch, Madsen, and Crabtree all had two hits in the game along with Caroline Dooley adding a fifth insurance run after the four-run explosion in the first. 

In game two, the Cardinals opened up a 3-0 lead in the third inning via a Lauren Bowmar RBI double, which plated Crabtree. Vlach singled home Bowmar, and Ronnie Latka advanced home on a throwing error. North Central kept at it in the next inning with a Crabtree RBI double to right center field driving in Morsovillo and Torosian and a Latka RBI single to give the Cardinals the 6-0 lead.

Making her first start this season, Taylor Warren pitched three innings of no-hit ball before the Shorewomen finally cracked her. A leadoff walk, a single, and a hit by pitch loaded the bases before Warren walked the next batter, getting Washington on the board. That was the end of the day for Warren as Maude came in to relieve her. Maude forced an RBI groundout and a flyout to navigate through the jam and leave the fourth inning with a 6-2 lead.

A solo shot in the bottom of the fifth brought Washington one run closer, making it 6-3, and they made the full comeback in the bottom of the seventh, scoring three to force extras. Down to their final out with runners in scoring position, a two-RBI single to center field tied the game at 6-6. A Carley Creeth RBI single helped the Cardinals regain the lead, and a Vlach RBI fielders choice gave insurance for the bottom of the eighth. Washington managed to score one run in the bottom of the eighth thanks to an RBI single but couldn't scratch across the game-tying run in scoring position. North Central competed in their second extra inning game in two days, taking eight innings to defeat the Shorewomen (1-2), 8-7, after blowing a 6-0 lead.

Crabtree provided a spark for the North Central offense, going three for three with a pair of doubles, two RBIs, and two runs scored. Maude earned the win for the Cardinals, her second of the season. 

North Central continues their spring break itinerary with a 4:30 p.m. (ET) first pitch scheduled against the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth and a 6:30 p.m. (ET) first pitch against Mount Saint Mary College (NY) Monday, Mar. 10. Click HERE for the full schedule.  

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