By Adam Poklop
NCC Sports Information
The North Central College softball team capitalized on twelve Blue Angels errors across their doubleheader to dispatch of Mount Mary University (4-15), posting a 7-3 victory in the opener and 9-1 rout in a five-inning nightcap Saturday.
Despite tallying seven runs in their game-one victory, North Central (20-6, 4-0 CCIW) was outhit 8-4 and largely relied on Mount Mary’s slipups for baserunners, who committed six errors and walked seven batters. On a particularly breezy afternoon at Shanower Family Field, the Blue Angels fielders struggled to follow fly balls, misplaying three in the opener alone.
Rachele Belletini started North Central’s onslaught in the first inning, doubling down the left field line to score Emily Miller, who led off the game with a walk. Two batters later, Molly Can hit a blooper to left field that allowed
Belletini to score, pushing the hosts’ lead to 2-0.
The wheels started to fall off for Mount Mary in the second inning when the Cardinals added two more runs despite not getting a single base hit.
With runners on second and third, Jaime Smith hit a high fly ball that got the better of the center fielder, allowing both runners to score.
Mount Mary showed some signs of life in the fourth, tallying three hits and scoring twice to cut North Central’s lead in half. Aislinn Strusz doubled through the middle to bring a pair of Blue Angels across the plate, but the visitors wouldn’t come any closer to tying the game, as North Central stretched their lead by scoring a run in each of the following three innings.
Taylor Clugston showcased her base running prowess in the fourth inning when she scored after taking a walk without the ball being put into play by stealing second and third before taking home on a wild pitch, just barely getting under the tag.
The following inning the Blue Angles walked in a run and in the sixth Samantha Gadomski hit an RBI-triple.
Although Strusz added another RBI for her team in the sixth inning, Mount Mary couldn’t generate the offense they needed to comeback.
Molly Cann finished two-for-four with a run and RBI, while Miller had two runs and a game-high three walks.
Entering the game with five stolen bases on the year, Clugston added four more to her season total.
In the circle for the Cardinals, Gadomski struck out a season-high seven batters to improve to 5-0.
Mount Mary committed six more errors in the nightcap, but this time North Central got the bats going by putting up nine hits in five innings.
Just as she did in the opener, Miller drew a walk to provide her team a leadoff runner, scoring courtesy of a sacrifice bunt from Belletini.
The Cardinals added a run in the second when Clugston knocked an RBI-triple that one-hopped the wall in right field.
Although the Blue Angels got on the board in the third, Gianna Corban (9-3) kept them at bay, tossing a gem in the nightcap. The freshman struck out four of the first six batters she faced and kept Mount Mary hitless until Haley Jacquez reached on a fourth-inning bunt, which proved to be their only hit of the game. Corban would add two more strikeouts before the game’s early end and dropped her ERA to 2.19.
North Central’s bats heated up in the fourth, where they found nearly half of their hits. Smith, Belletini and Breanna Adams all recorded RBIs in the inning to bring North Central’s lead to 6-1. The Cardinals picked up where they left off in the fifth picking up three more hits. Miller brought in two runs with a single, while Belletini found the gap in left-center field to end the game with an RBI-double.
Belletini led all players with three RBIs and has now recorded an RBI in the last six games. Smith, Belletini and Clugston all finished with multiple hits in the contest, while Miller scored a game-high three runs.
Haley Small took the loss for Mount Mary, moving to 2-7 on the season. The right-hander recorded two strikeouts and allowed two earned runs in 4.1 innings.
North Central resumes College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) play on Tuesday, Apr. 15, when they host Carthage College for a doubleheader. First pitch at Shanower Family Field is scheduled for 3 p.m.