Contact: Sam Fretto, Athletics Communication Graduate Assistant, sjfretto@noctrl.edu

CLERMONT, Fla. (Mar. 9, 2026)- Spending the day at Legends Way Ballfield, the North Central College softball team swept its opponents, outscoring them 13-5. The Cardinals defeated Buena Vista University 2-0 behind a complete-game shutout by Juliana Maude and finished the sweep with an 11-5 victory over Utica University on Monday afternoon.

Maude worked around a first-inning walk, retiring Buena Vista with an infield popout to second, a groundout, and a strikeout swinging. The Cardinals jumped ahead to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the inning after a Gwen Shouse leadoff single to right field. Shouse advanced to second on a wild pitch and moved over to third on a sacrifice bunt. Nicole Stone drove in the first run of the game with an RBI sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Shouse. Maude had a clean second inning, striking out one batter and forcing a flyout and groundout. A pair of leadoff singles by Lauren Bowmar and Carley Creeth led to runners on the corners and one out. Charlotte Toosley laid down a bunt back to the pitcher, which allowed Bowmar to score, giving the Cardinals a 2-0 advantage. 

Maude retired the side in the top of the third with a strikeout, flyout, and a groundout back to herself. In a jam in the fourth with runners on first and second, Maude induced a groundball double play speared by Gracie Vlach, tossed to Shouse at second, and fired to Bowmar at first to exit the inning. Working around a leadoff single in the fourth inning, Maude retired the next six batters in a row. She then went out in the seventh inning and put the final touches on the complete-game shutout.

Morsovillo had a 3-for-3 game, while Toosley went 2-for-2 with an RBI and Stone drove in the other. Maude went the distance striking out seven allowing just six runners to reach base.
Game two was a come-from-behind effort as the Cardinals trailed Utica 2-0 after two innings. Starting the game, Sam Schilf faced traffic on the basepaths after an error at shortstop and a walk. With one out, a ball put in play wasn't corralled at shortstop, and a second error allowed the first run to score. In the second inning, three straight singles loaded the bases for Utica, and they took a 2-0 lead on a fielder's choice that saw everyone reach safely. Schilf bounced back with a groundout and popout to leave the bases loaded. 

The Cardinals exploded for a four-spot in the top of the third inning to take the 4-2 lead. A leadoff walk and a single by Shouse and Vlach led to them being on second and third with no one out. Stone hit a bases-clearing double to tie the game 2-2. With Stone on second and Hailey Morsovillo up, a ball put in play to third base scored Stone after an errant throw. The Cardinals capped off the inning with an Emma Herder single to right field to score Alyssa Barowski, who came in as a pinch runner for Morsovillo. 

Schilf beared down in the bottom of the third, recording the first two outs before surrendering a walk and a single. With runners on first and second, a single was hit into left field and fielded on a hop by Toosley as her relay throw home beat the runner, ending Utica's scoring threat and keeping the game at 4-2, North Central. 

North Central tacked on a run in fourth to increase the lead to 5-2, as Shouse led off with a bunt single and was moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. An infield single by Stone advanced Shouse to third, and Morsovillo drove in Shouse on a bouncer through the right side. Vlach opened up a 6-2 advantage as a base hit to left field scored Toosley. The Cardinals loaded the bases in the sixth inning as both Vianca Juarez and Natalie Sanchez drew bases-loaded walks to add two more runs, making it an 8-2 ballgame. 

After five innings of work, Schilf exited the game for Charlotte Brummel. Utica tacked on two runs and closed the gap to 8-4 in the sixth inning with an RBI triple and scoring on a North Central error. Brummel forced a strikeout and then got help from Sydney Nienhouse's relay throw from center to cut down a runner trying to score to get out of the inning. 

The Cardinals responded in the top of the seventh inning, scoring three runs on one hit, beginning with walking the bases loaded. Vlach, Reese, Johnson, and Morsovillo took free passes to send Bowmar to the plate, where she also walked, scoring a run. Creeth followed with a single to score Johnson, and Nienhouse reached on a fielder's choice that saw Morsovillo score, giving the Cardinals an 11-4 lead. Brummel returned to the circle in the bottom of the seventh to finish the game as Utica added one final run in the last frame.


Eight different Cardinals recorded a hit, as Vlach led the team with three while scoring two runs and recording an RBI. Morsovillo reached base safely four times with two walks and two hits, while Stone went 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Schilf picked up the win, going five innings pitched, giving up two runs on six hits while striking out one. Brummel made her first career pitching appearance and pitched two innings while striking out one batter. 

The Cardinals continue competition in THE Spring Games with two more games on deck on Tuesday, Mar. 10. They are set to face Regis College at 9 a.m. (ET) and Blackburn College at 11:15 a.m. (ET) from Hancock Park in Clermont, Fla.