Mar. 23, 2018 – Scoring early and often, the North Central College baseball team rolled to a 14-1 victory over Wisconsin Lutheran College on Friday, in the team's final tune-up before beginning College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) play on Wednesday.

The scoring started in the bottom of the first inning for North Central (4-6), as Jeremy Quade was hit by a pitch to lead off the frame, followed by a walk from Eric Outlaw to start the rally.  Michael Mateja stepped to the plate and promptly lined a single into center field to score Quade and give the Cardinals a 1-0 lead.  Two batters later, Mike Wisz drove in Outlaw with a RBI groundout to shortstop, increasing the lead 2-0.

The Cardinal bats continued to stay hot in the bottom of the third, sending 10 batters to the plate while putting up a six spot to quickly balloon the lead 8-0 after three innings played.  Outlaw singled to start the inning, followed by a double off the bat of Mateja and a walk from John Carmody loading the bases with nobody out.

Outlaw came around to score on a fielder's choice off the bat of Wisz, scoring on a wild throw home.  Colin Weilbacher drove home Mateja on an infield single, before Rob Marinec promptly unloaded the bases on a three-RBI double to right-center field, still with no outs in the inning.  The Cardinals added one more in the frame as Quade singled home Marinec with a two-out single to cap the scoring in the third.

The Warriors (2-8) got on the board with a unearned run in the top of the fourth, but North Central took that run right back in the bottom half on a Wisz sacrifice fly.

North Central really put the game out of reach in the bottom of the fifth, plating four more runs, including a RBI double from Quade, bases loaded walk by Carmody and a two-run single off the bat of Wisz to extend the lead 13-1.

Charles Klemm dazzled on the mound for North Central, scattering just five hits over his six innings of work, allowing no earned runs, striking out four and walking none.  John Clifford and Anthony Serafinicombined to finish the final three innings without surrendering a hit.

Mateja led all batters finishing 3-for-4 from the plate with three runs scored, two stolen bases and a RBI, while extending his reached base streak to 53 straight games dating back to Mar. 20, 2017.  Quade finished 2-for-3 from the plate with a hit by pitch, two runs scored and two RBI, while Wisz drove in four runs and Marinec drove in three.

North Central begins CCIW play on Wednesday, Mar. 28, playing host to Wheaton College with game one of the doubleheader slated for 12 p.m. at Zimmerman Stadium.