Contact: Nicholas Osterloo, Assistant Sports Information Director, 630-637-5324
Apr. 12, 2025 – Dropping both ends of a doubleheader to Millikin University, the North Central College baseball team falls to 6-4 in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin following the twin bill at Zimmerman Stadium on Saturday.
The Big Blue struck first as two hits and a walk led to a 2-0 lead after the first half inning. John Michael Scumaci drew a two-out walk before advancing to third base on a wild pitch. An Austin Wienke double to center field plated Scumaci to give the Cardinals their first run of the game. After Henry Saul was hit by a pitch and Caleb Coberley hit an infield single, Parker Wyatt hit a two-run single to put North Central in front, 3-2.
Millikin turned the tides in the top of the second. A grand slam from Bennet Comes opened a seven-run inning for the Big Blue, taking a 9-3 lead. After a 1-2-3 bottom of the second, Millikin tacked on four more runs on three hits and two walks.
Peyton Burgh and Jackson Bland drew walks to open the bottom of the fifth. Wienke drove in Burgh on an RBI single before Bland scored on an RBI hit by pitch from Coberley. Following a Big Blue pitching change, Wyatt plated Wienke on a single through the left side. Making the score 13-7, Yuhki Yamada scored Andre Medina on a sacrifice fly.
Again the Big Blue responded, scoring four runs on five hits and an error in the top of the sixth to give themselves a 10-run cushion, 17-7. Millikin held on to secure the victory in seven innings.
Wienke scored twice and drove in two runs while Wyatt tallied three RBI. Chris Rogers suffered the loss, throwing 1.2 innings and allowing eight earned runs. Zach O'Donnell picked up with fourth win of the season for Millikin, throwing 4.1 innings with seven earned runs.
The visitors scored first again as a leadoff double led to a 1-0 lead for Millikin. In the third, the Big Blue added two runs on three hits to take a 3-0 advantage.
North Central pushed its first run across as Burgh was hit by a pitch and moved into scoring position with a stolen base. Coberley plated Burgh on an RBI single. Cutting the lead to one, Kolby Fujii drove in Justin Lang with a double to left field.
The Blig Blue opened up game two with a five-run seventh inning on five hits and a hit by pitch to take an 8-2 lead. In the bottom of the seventh, Fujii scored from first on a Big Blue error to bring the Cardinals within five, 8-3.
Millikin put the game out of reach in the ninth, scoring three runs on five hits and three Cardinal errors to earn an 11-3 win.
Fujii led the North Central offense with three hits, a run and an RBI. AJ Kutcher took the loss, allowing three runs over six innings. Nolan Reiman earned the win for the Big Blue with five innings of relief, allowing just one earned run over the game's final five innings.
These two teams will close out the season series tomorrow at Workman Family Field. The first pitch is set for 3 p.m.
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