Contact: Nicholas Osterloo, Director of Athletics Communication, 630-637-5324
BLOOMINGTON, Ill (May 10, 2025) – Winning their 11th College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin Tournament in program history, the North Central College baseball team defeated Illinois Wesleyan University 11-7 on Saturday at Horenberger Field.
The Titans, playing as the visiting team on their home field, struck first as a leadoff walk and home run put Illinois Wesleyan up 2-0 after two batters. AJ Kutcher settled in and kept the Titans at bay.
Yuhki Yamada led off the bottom of the first with a single and scored on a Jackson Bland RBI double. Bland came around to score and to the game thanks to a Parker Wyatt RBI triple. Putting the Cardinals in front, John Michael Scumaci used a sacrifice fly to score Wyatt.
Bland and Wyatt each began the third with a single. After they moved up 90 feet on a wild pitch, Austin Wienke plated Bland on an RBI single before Scumaci hit another sacrifice fly to put North Central up, 5-2.
Kutcher posted back-to-back 1-2-3 frames in the fourth and fifth innings.
The heart of the Cardinal lineup delivered in the bottom of the seventh as Bland led off with a double to left field. Wyatt hit his second home run of the tournament to tack on two runs for North Central.
Illinois Wesleyan stormed back in the top of the sixth inning, scoring five runs on six hits to even the game at 7-7.
Bland and Wyatt each reached base and advanced into scoring position on a wild pitch. With two outs, Scumaci put the Cardinals back in front with a two-run single. Henry Saul plated Scumaci on an RBI double to give North Central a 10-7 advantage.
Payton Diaz posted a three-up, three-down seventh inning. Wyatt was hit by a pitch to begin the eighth before scoring on a Winke RBI double to right field. Diaz remained in control in the ninth to earn the victory for North Central.
Scumaci drove in four runs while Wyatt scored five times with four hits and four RBI on the day. Bland and Wienke each recorded three hits for the Cardinals. Kutcher threw 5.1 innings, allowing six runs. Diaz improved to 3-1 with the win in 3.2 innings of work with no runs allowed.
The Cardinals await their NCAA Tournament opponent as the selection show begins at 11 a.m. on NCAA.com
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