PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. (Mar. 5, 2020) – Fueled by a eight-run seventh inning, the North Central College baseball team ran away with its sixth-straight win to start the season, overpowering Misericordia University, 16-7 on Thursday at North Charlotte Regional Park.

The Cardinals (6-0) scored in six of the first seven innings, racking up 19 hits and a season-high eight extra-base hits, including four doubles, two triples and two homeruns.  North Central has now scored double-digit runs in five of the six games this season, outscoring opponents 71-21 on the young season.

What was a back-and-forth contest early, the Cardinals plated the first three runs of the game but the Cougars (5-7) responded with three runs in the bottom of the third inning.  With one run already in for the Cougars in the bottom of the fourth and the bases loaded with nobody out, Joe Kaminski was summoned from the Cardinals bullpen. 

After allowing a base hit to the first batter he faced, Kaminski settled in to force a double play and groundout to get out of the inning without further damage in what proved to be the turning point of the ballgame.

Trailing 6-4, the Cardinal offense seemed unfazed by the deficit, erupting for 12 runs over the next three innings including a eight-run seventh inning.  North Central quickly regained the lead in the top of the fifth as Justin Rios walked to lead off the inning and promptly scored on a Joe Rizzo RBI-triple two batters later.  John Carmody then plated Rizzo with a sacrifice fly to left, before Eric Outlaw generated some two-out magic with a single to right.  After advancing to second on a balk, Jared Wojcik scored Outlaw with a single to center to give the Cardinals a 7-6 lead.

Dom Listi got in on the action in the top of the sixth, leading off the inning with a solo shot to center field for his first collegiate homerun for what was an important insurance run at the time.

North Central put the game out of reach in the top of the seventh, as nine-straight batters reached base safely to start the inning, scoring eight runs before recording an out.  Carmody was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, before Outlaw legged out an infield singles and Wojcik walked to load the bags.

Listi was walked on four-straight pitches to drive in the first run, while Michael Stoltz followed with a RBI-single down the left field line and Colin Weilbacher drew yet another walk to score Wojcik.

With the bases still packed full of Cardinals, Rios drove a single to right center, scoring a pair, before Rob Marinec launched his first homerun of the season, a no-doubt three-run bomb to center to increase the North Central advantage 16-6.  With the homerun, Marinec moves into sole possession of fifth on the program's career list with 19 career long balls.

Kaminski earned his first collegiate win after stymying the Cougar offense over his five innings of work, allowing just one earned run on five hits while striking out three.  Tim Davoran pitched a scoreless ninth with a strikeout to finish off the game.

All nine Cardinal batters in the lineup recorded a hit on the afternoon, led by a 4-for-5 performance with four runs scored from Outlaw, while Rios finished 3-for-4 with two walks, two RBI and two runs scored.

Listi added a 2-for-4 showing with two walks, three RBI and two runs scored, while Wojcik, Stoltz and Rizzo each tallied multiple hits as well.

North Central finishes its Spring trip to the Snowbird Baseball Classic on Friday, Mar. 6, looking to go unbeaten with a top-25 matchup against 20^th-ranked Heidelberg University (Ohio) with an early first pitch scheduled for 9 a.m. (ET).