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

NAPERVILLE, Ill. (Apr. 8, 2025)- Trailing after the first inning in both games, the North Central College softball team dropped a College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin doubleheader to the Carthage College Firebirds Tuesday at Shanower Family Field. The Firebirds took game one by a score of 8-3 and game two 9-4. 

The Firebirds took advantage of an error by the Cardinals in the first inning to take the 1-0 lead. After the Cardinals got retired in order in the bottom of the first, the Firebirds put up four more runs on four hits, punctuated by a Gwen Hendrick RBI double. In the bottom of the second, Carley Creeth reached base safely on a dropped fly ball in center field and drove in Lauren Bowmar and Ronnie Latka to cut the lead to 5-2. 

The Cardinals threatened to cut into the lead again in the bottom of the third after Rachael Madsen and Gracie Vlach doubled to put runners on second and third with nobody out but failed to capitalize. In the top of the fifth, Carthage added two insurance runs to make the score 7-2. An RBI groundout from Talia Torosian made it 7-3, but Carthage took it right back in the sixth with a sacrifice fly for the 8-3 final. 

North Central used Sam Schilf, Juliana Maude, and Taylor Warren to record the 21 outs in the ball game, with Schilf receiving the loss to move to 6-6 on the season. She exited the game after 1.1 innings pitched, giving up four hits and allowing 3 runs. 

Warren started game two but ran into trouble early, allowing four straight singles before recording her first out, which put Carthage ahead 2-0. The Firebirds added one more on a flyout double play to take the 3-0 advantage. Bailey Miller brought the Cardinals to within one in the top of the second with a bases-loaded two-RBI single, plating Caroline Dooley and Ronnie Latka. 

Carthage responded with a six-spot in the bottom of the third, walking two across, scoring on an error, and singling home three runs, putting the game at 9-2. The Cardinals attempted to make the comeback in the fifth as Latka singled Torosian and Madsen home to make it 9-4, but the Cardinals would strand two. 

North Central used three arms again in game two, with Warren only going one inning, Schilf going 1.2 innings, and Maude cleaning up the rest for 3.1 innings. Warren received the loss, allowing five hits and giving up three runs, all earned, to move to 1-1 on the season. 

The Cardinals (13-11, 2-2 CCIW) travel to Bloomington for a CCIW doubleheader against the Illinois Wesleyan Titans (15-7, 0-0 CCIW) on Thursday, April 10. Game one is set to kick off at 3 p.m.

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