Contact: Nicholas Osterloo, Director of Athletics Communication, 630-637-5324
Mar. 22, 2026 - Playing its fifth game in four days, the North Central College baseball team showed no signs of slowing down Sunday afternoon, rolling past the Illinois Institute of Technology, 10–3, at Zimmerman Stadium.
Illinois Tech struck first, taking advantage of a North Central error for a 1–0 lead in the opening inning. Luke Wallace answered immediately, ripping a leadoff single to third before stealing second and moving to third on a Parker Wyatt single. Payton Diaz lifted a sacrifice fly to bring Wallace home and even the score.
Cardinal starter Jonny Rossi settled in, posting scoreless frames in the second and third. The Scarlet Hawks tied the game at 2–2 in the fourth with another unearned run following a North Central miscue.
Wyatt jump-started the Cardinals in the fifth with a double to left. Caleb Coberley followed with a single through the left side, and Diaz beat out an infield single to score Wyatt and give North Central a 3–2 lead. Jacob Hoernschemeyer delivered a pinch-hit, two-run single, and after a Frankie Valli walk, Wallace drove in two more to push the advantage to 7–2.
Brian Kud took over on the mound and fired a 1-2-3 sixth. Coberley singled to right in the bottom half and later scored on a Peyton Burgh RBI single to right-center, stretching the lead to 8–2.
Illinois Tech added a run in the seventh on a single, a walk and an RBI groundout.
Yuhki Yamada was hit by a pitch to open the eighth, and walks to Wyatt and a Coberley single loaded the bases. Fernando Tillery Jr. brought home Yamada on a fielder's choice, and Ryan Huskey added a sacrifice fly to score Wyatt. Elijah Hammond closed the door with a three-up, three-down ninth.
Rossi earned the first win of his collegiate career, working five innings and allowing just two unearned runs on three hits. Hammond struck out three in two scoreless innings. Wallace and Coberley each tallied three hits, while Burgh, Diaz, Hoernschemeyer and Wallace drove in two runs apiece. Wyatt scored three times.
North Central returns to College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin play Wednesday for game five of the seven-game homestand. First pitch against the Pioneers is set for 3 p.m at Zimmerman Stadium. The Cardinals beat Carroll all three times a season ago.
