PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. (Mar. 11, 2023) - Opening the Snowbird Baseball Classic against Babson College, the North Central College baseball team scored all 10 runs in the final three innings of play, sparked by a John Michael Scumaci two-run home run in the eighth inning, to beat the Beavers 10-3 on Saturday.

Starting pitcher Jason Shanner kept Babson hitless in the opening frame. To begin the top of the second inning, Luke Lehnen singled and advanced to second base. The next two Cardinals struck out as the game stayed scoreless.

After a leadoff single from the Beavers, Brent Savage hit a two-run home run to take a 2-0 lead. Shanner limited the damage to just two runs by stranding a runner on the base paths.

The Cardinals next hit came in the top of the fifth inning as Michael Davis hit a leadoff double to center field. North Central could not take advantage as the next three batters could not score Davis, as the Beavers held a 2-0 lead after five innings of play.

In the eighth inning, Nolan King singled to right field before Scumaci belted his second home run of the season over the left field wall to knot the contest at 2-2. The next batter, Dom Listi doubled to center but North Central could not capitalize as the game was tied entering the ninth inning. 

After a single and a walk in the bottom of the ninth, Nolan Shannon entered the game looking to hold Babson scoreless. The Beavers used a sacrifice bunt to send the runners to second and third. Babson lined into a double play as King caught the line drive and stepped on third to send the game into the tenth inning.

With King on the base paths, Scumaci hit an RBI single to plate King and put the Cardinals on top, 3-2. Back-to-back singles from Listi and Rob Marinec loaded the bases for Justin Rios who was hit by the pitch to score Scumaci. Jack Oberli gave North Central a 5-2 lead with an RBI single and forced the Beavers to make a pitching change. Lehnen greeted the new pitcher with a double to center field, bringing home Marinec and Rios, putting the Cardinals up 8-2. Oberli scored on a wild pitch before Joe Hamilton scored Lehnen on a single to left. Scoring the eighth run of the inning, Hamilton took advantage of a Babson error as the Cardinals led 10-2. 

CJ Jensik entered the game for North Central and struck out two batters and recorded the three final outs as the Cardinals won 10-3 in their first game of the Snowbird Baseball Classic.

Scumaci tallied three RBIs with two hits and two runs on the day. Listi, Lehnen, Hamilton, and King each recorded two hits while Marinec, Oberli and Davis posted one hit. Shannon picked up his second win of the season. Shanner threw six innings allowing just two runs, three hits and struck out three. Robert Deischer came in relief of Shanner and struck out two in his two scoreless innings on the mound. 

North Central faces No. 11 Denison University for the second time this season, looking to avenge a loss to the Big Red on March 4th. That game is set to begin at 10 a.m. (ET) at Centennial Park Fields (C10).

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