Contact: Nicholas Osterloo, Director of Athletics Communication, 630-637-5324
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (May 9, 2025) – Advancing to Championship Saturday of the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin Tournament as the lone unbeaten team in the event, the North Central College baseball team strung together 15 hits to beat the top-seeded Illinois Wesleyan University 13-5 on Friday afternoon at Horenberger Stadium.
Just the second hitter of the game, Jackson Bland launched a solo shot over the right field fence to give the Cardinals a 1-0 lead early on. Brian Duvall kept the Titans off the scoreboard in the bottom of the first inning with a strikeout to end the frame.
After Illinois Wesleyan worked out of a jam to hold the Cardinals at one run, the Titans evened the game at 1-1 with an RBI groundout following a leadoff double. Another leadoff double in the bottom of the third turned into a second Titan run.
In the fourth, John Michael Scumaci singled to open the top of the inning. Henry Saul drew a hit by pitch. After Vincent Merlo moved the runners up a base, Justin Lang tied the score at 2-2 on an RBI groundout. Yuhki Yamada walked to load the bases for Bland, who delivered a two-run double to put North Central in front, 4-2.
Duvall held the Titans offense in check in the fifth and sixth innings. Following another walk from Bland, Parker Wyatt belted a home run over the left field fence, tacking on two insurance runs for the Cardinals, who took a 6-2 lead.
Jaedin Kotecki relieved Duvall in the seventh, and the Titans' bats woke up. Back-to-back singles and a two-run double kept Illinois Wesleyan in the game. An RBI groundout cut the Cardinal deficit to just one, 6-5. Elijah Hammond entered in the bottom of the seventh and kept North Central in front with a groundout to third base.
Kolby Fujii led off the eighth with a walk and moved to second base on a sacrifice bunt from Lang. Yamada gave the Cardinals a much-needed insurance run with an RBI single to put North Central ahead by two, 7-5. Following an intentional walk of Bland, Wyatt hit an RBI single off of third base to plate Yamada. Bland greeted a new Titan pitcher by scoring on a wild pitch. After Austin Wienke walked, Caleb Coberley hit a two-run single down the left field line to put the Cardinals up by six, 11-5.
Adding two runs in the top of the ninth, Yamada and Wyatt took advantage of a Titan error to give North Central a 13-5 lead. Hammond picked up the save by keeping the Titans off the board in the ninth to secure the 13-5 victory.
Wyatt drove in three runs while scoring twice. Bland scored three times on two hits and three walks on the day. As a team, the Cardinals drew 11 walks with two hit by pitches. Duvall earned the win with six innings of work, allowing two runs with four strikeouts. Hammond earned the save in his 2.1 innings, allowing no runs and three hits.
The Cardinals advance to the CCIW Championship game, taking on the winner of tonight's elimination game, which features Illinois Wesleyan and Carthage College. North Central enters that game with a 2-0 record, needing just one win to claim the Title. Their opponent would need to beat the Cardinals twice to win it all. That game begins at 2 p.m with a second game beginning 30 minutes after game one ends, if needed.
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