Contact: Nicholas Osterloo, Director of Athletics Communication, 630-637-5324
Mar. 28, 2026 - Improving to 3-1 in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin with a doubleheader sweep of Carthage College, the North Central College baseball team moved into a share of first place in the league standings Saturday at Zimmerman Stadium. The Cardinals' seven-game win streak is their longest since the 2023 squad won nine straight.
An RBI single from the Firebirds put Carthage ahead, 1-0, after the first inning. Starting pitcher Camden Loomis settled in, keeping the visitors off the board in the second. With two outs in the bottom half, Payton Diaz singled up the middle to spark a rally. Peyton Burgh followed with a single before Jacob Hoernschemeyer drove in both with a double to left center. Hoernschemeyer advanced to third on a bunt single by Caleb Smith and scored on a passed ball for a 3-1 lead.
North Central added on in the fourth as Smith doubled down the left field line. He moved to third on a Carthage error that allowed Luke Wallace to reach. Yuhki Yamada delivered a two-run double to left center, and Jackson Bland's fifth triple of the season plated Yamada to extend the advantage to 6-1.
The Cardinals capitalized on more Firebird miscues in the fifth. An error and a wild pitch brought home Burgh to make it 7-1.
Carthage chipped away in the seventh, scoring on a walk, double, sacrifice fly, and RBI single to pull within 7-3. The Firebirds added another run in the eighth on a walk, hit by pitch, and single before Elijah Hammond entered in relief to halt the threat.
A walk and double produced one more Carthage run in the ninth, but Hammond induced a groundout to secure a 7-5 win in game one.
Yamada and Hoernschemeyer each drove in two runs, while Burgh scored twice. Loomis improved to 3-0, working 5.2 innings with one run allowed and five strikeouts. Hammond earned his first save of the season with 1.2 innings of one-run relief.
Chris Rogers took the mound for game two and kept Carthage scoreless through two innings. In the bottom of the second, Caleb Coberley walked and Diaz singled before Burgh advanced both with a sacrifice bunt. Andre Medina opened the scoring with an RBI single to left. Diaz scored on a wild pitch, Wallace doubled down the right field line to plate Medina, and Yamada added an RBI single. Yamada later scored on another wild pitch as the Cardinals built a 5-0 lead.
Coberley singled on an 0-2 pitch in the third and stole second. A groundout by Diaz moved him to third, and a wild pitch pushed across another run for a 6-0 margin.
Carthage scored its first run of the game on a sacrifice fly in the fourth, but Rogers responded with 1-2-3 innings in the fifth and sixth.
The Firebirds rallied for three runs in the seventh to close within 6-4. North Central answered in the bottom half as Diaz reached on an error, Medina singled, and Smith walked to load the bases. Wallace delivered a key RBI single to restore a three-run cushion.
Ryan Gerdes entered with the bases loaded in the eighth and limited the damage to a sacrifice fly, preserving a 7-5 lead.
Hammond returned for the ninth seeking his second save of the day. After a single, the Cardinals recorded two outs before back-to-back singles plated a run and put the tying run on second. A fielder's choice ended the game and sealed a 7-6 victory.
Yamada tallied three hits in game two, while Coberley and Diaz each scored twice. Wallace drove in two runs, including the decisive seventh run. Rogers earned the win with six innings of one-run, three-hit pitching and six strikeouts. Gerdes worked a scoreless eighth, and Hammond collected his second save.
North Central goes for the series sweep of Carthage tomorrow at Augie Schmidt Field. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.
