PUNTA GORDA, Fla. (Mar. 6, 2020) – Closing out play at the Snowbird Baseball Classic with a top-25 matchup, the North Central College baseball team scored in seven of the nine innings to score a 11-7 win over 20^th-ranked Heidelberg University on Friday and will return home with a perfect 7-0 record so far on the young season.

Now scoring double-digit runs in six of the seven games this season, the Cardinals jumped on Heidelberg starter Ross Thompson for two runs in each of the first two innings.  Justin Rios started the first-inning rally with a one-out single to left and came around to score on a Joe Rizzo RBI-double to right center two batters later.  With two outs, John Carmody came through with a run-scoring base-hit through the right side, scoring Rizzo in the process.

In the top of the second, Jared Wojcik singled to left before Dom Listi walked to lead off the frame, before Colin Weilbacher and Rob Marinec each delivered RBI-singles to increase the North Central lead 4-0.

Following a three-run bottom of the second for Heidelberg, North Central swiped those runs back with one in the third on a Eric Outlaw RBI-single, before Outlaw drove in two more in the top of the fourth to increase the lead back to four, 7-3.

That lead did not last long however, as the Student Princes strung together four hits to plate four runs, including Keaton Mark's second homerun of the day off Cardinal starter Charlie Klemm, adding to his solo shot in the bottom of the second with a two-run homer in the fourth.

With the score now tied 7-7, Tyler Jones was summoned from the Cardinal bullpen in the bottom of the fifth and halted the Heidelberg offense from that point forward, tossing 2 1/3 shutout innings while the offense came through in the clutch.  After Marinec walked and advanced to second on a balk to start the top of the sixth, Rizzo lined a single to center to score what would be the game-winning run and re-take the lead 8-7.

The offense added two more runs in the seventh on a sacrifice fly from Weilbacher and a RBI-base knock from Rios, while Listi tallied another insurance run in the eighth with a run-scoring triple to right-center field.

Patrick Schaefer's name was called from the pen in relief with two outs in the bottom of the seventh and the junior was equally as dominant, allowing just one hit over his 2 1/3 innings with four strikeouts, earning his first save of the season.

In total, Cardinal pitchers struck out a season-high 15 batters on the afternoon, as Klemm finished with nine over his four innings, receiving a no-decision.  Jones earned his first win of the season, while Tim Davoren retired the only batter he faced in the seventh.

For the second-straight game, all nine batters in the Cardinal lineup recorded a hit, led once again by Outlaw's 3-for-5 performance, scoring once while driving in three.  Weilbacher finished 2-for-4 with two RBI atop the lineup, while Listi was 2-for-4 with two runs scored.  Rios also added two hits and two runs scored and Rizzo plated two on two hits.

Mark led the Student Princes (2-4) with a 4-for-5 showing, including those two homeruns and three RBI, while Kyle Jenkins and Zach Doran each finished 2-for-5 atop the lineup.

With a week off, North Central (7-0) returns to the field on Saturday, Mar. 14, traveling to Franklin College (Indiana) for a non-conference doubleheader scheduled for 12 p.m. (ET) at McDowell Field.