Contact: Nicholas Osterloo, Director of Athletics Communication, 630-637-5324
CAROL STREAM, Ill. (Apr. 3, 2026) - The North Central College baseball team dropped a pair of College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin contests to Wheaton College on Friday as Thunder pitching controlled game one before a late rally in game two secured the sweep at Pfund Stadium.
Wheaton set the tone early in game one, opening the first with a pair of doubles to score the day's first run. A productive RBI groundout saw the hosts take a 2-0 lead after the opening frame.
Camden Loomis settled in, retiring the side in order in the second and using a double play to work around a leadoff walk in the third. The Thunder tacked on another run in the fourth on back-to-back doubles to hold a 300 advantage.
The Cardinal bats were stymied in the early going, not recording a hit until a Caleb Coberley single in the seventh inning. North Central could not cash in on a two-out hit by Luke Wallace in the eighth. Jackson Bland launched a home run to right-center field to put the Cardinals on the board in the ninth, but it wasn't enough as Wheaton held on for a 3-1 victory.
Loomis threw 7.1 innings, allowing three runs with six hits and a strikeout. Tyler Pritchard did not allow a baserunner in his 0.2 innings of work. Bland's homer led the way on offense in game one.
The Cardinals' bats woke up as North Central struck first in the second inning, as Coberley drew a leadoff walk before Payton Diaz doubled to put two runners in scoring position. Peyton Burgh delivered a two-run single to right field to give North Central an early 2-0 lead.
After starter Chris Rogers held the Thunder scoreless in the bottom of the second, the Cardinals extended their advantage in the third. Wallace reached on an error and came around to score as Bland reached on a fielder's choice and a Wheaton throwing error.
The Thunder responded with a five-run bottom half, as a ground-rule double plated the first Wheaton run. After a sacrifice fly, the hosts evened the contest on an RBI single. A two-run single gave the Thunder its first lead of the game at 5-3.
With a runner on first, Bland belted his second home run of the day to tie the game at 5-5 in the fifth inning.
The Thunder responded by taking the lead, thanks to a Cardinal error, scoring an unearned run in the bottom half of the fifth.
North Central answered in the sixth. Diaz led off with a double down the left-field line. Burgh walked as both runners moved up 90 feet on a wild pitch. Owen Ziaja's RBI single tied the contest before Caleb Smith put North Central back in front with a second straight RBI single. Bland's big day continued, plating Ziaja on a third single in the frame to put the Cardinals ahead, 8-6.
Both pitching staffs held strong until the ninth, as the Cardinals took an 8-6 lead into the final frame. The first two Wheaton batters evened the score at 8-8 on a double and an RBI single. Following a popout, back-to-back singles scored the game's final run as Wheaton took a 9-8 victory in game two.
Bland drove in three runs on the day, with Burgh driving in two. Diaz and Wallace each scored twice on the day, while Coberley walked three times. Elijah Hammond suffered the loss, allowing two runs on five hits in his one inning of work in the ninth. Pritchard worked another scoreless frame in game two. Ryan Gerdes did not allow an earned run in his appearance, working 3.1 innings.
North Central looks to find its winning ways Tuesday night, hoping to complete the series sweep of Carroll University. The Cardinals won 11–0 behind a Diaz complete-game shutout on March 25. The first pitch at Frame Park in Waukesha, Wis. is set for 5 p.m.
