Jackson Bland leading off second base
Steve Woltmann
3
North Central (Ill.) NCC 1-2
17
Winner Mary Hardin-Baylor UMHB 10-5
North Central (Ill.) NCC
1-2
3
Final
17
Mary Hardin-Baylor UMHB
10-5
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
North Central (Ill.) NCC 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 8 3
Mary Hardin-Baylor UMHB 1 2 1 5 0 4 1 3 X 17 16 0

W: Alex Hill (3-1) L: Rogers, Chris (0-1)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Baseball Opens Texas Slate with Loss to UMHB

Contact: Nicholas Osterloo, Director of Athletics Communication, 630-637-5324

BELTON, Texas (Mar. 5, 2026) - The North Central College baseball team scored three runs in the first two innings before being shut out the rest of the way in a 17-3 loss to the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor on Thursday night at Red Murff Field to open a three-game series with the Crusaders.

Luke Wallace and Yuhki Yamada started the game with back-to-back home runs to put the Cardinals up 2-0 early. Parker Wyatt doubled before Jackson Bland singled to put runners on the corners, but the Crusaders turned a double play to limit the damage.

Mary Hardin-Baylor answered in the bottom of the first with a double and an RBI single to cut into the lead, though starter Chris Rogers struck out a batter to hold the hosts to one run.

Wallace reached on a fielder's choice in the second. After advancing on a wild pitch, Yamada continued his hot start to the season with an RBI single to extend the lead to 3-1. The Crusaders evened the score with the help of three walks and a balk, scoring twice on just one hit.

Mary Hardin-Baylor added another run in the third, taking advantage of two North Central errors to move ahead 4-3. After a scoreless fourth for the Cardinals, the Crusaders loaded the bases and forced a pitching change. A bases-clearing double followed by a two-run home run pushed the deficit to 9-3.

The Crusaders broke the game open in the sixth, hitting a home run and scoring two unearned runs off Cardinal errors to make it 13-3. They added a run in the seventh and three more on four hits in the eighth to close out the 17-3 final.

Yamada drove in two runs, scored once and finished with two hits, including a home run. Wallace scored twice, with his lone hit coming in the game's first at-bat. Bland and Caleb Coberely each recorded two hits. Rogers took the loss, allowing five earned runs in 3.5 innings.

The Cardinals and Crusaders conclude their three-game series with a Friday doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Red Murff Field.
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