CAROL STREAM, Ill (Mar. 7, 2021) – Dominating in all facets on Sunday, the sixth-ranked North Central College baseball team opened the 2021 season with a pair of wins over Ripon College by scores of 12-0 and 12-1 at Lee Pfund Stadium.

The North Central offense outscored the Red Hawks, 24-1, racking up 23 hits in the process while the pitching staff struck out 29 batters over the 14 innings on the day and allowed only five hits.

The Cardinals (2-0) rolled to a 12-0 win in the opener, backed by five hitless innings from Charlie Klemm.  The Red Hawk (0-3) offense had no answers for Klemm, striking out the side in the first inning and proceeding to strikeout nine while not allowing a ball out of the infield over his five innings of work.

North Central struck first in the bottom of the second, as Michael Stoltz lined a two-out single to score Dom Listi, taking advantage of a Red Hawk error to plate an unearned run.

Still holding a 1-0 lead after four, the Cardinals broke the game wide open with a seven-run bottom of the fifth, sending 12 batters to the plate.  Luke Gregorio led off with a triple to deep left center, while Stoltz reached on an error to put runners on first and third.

After Stoltz swiped second, Justin Rios followed two batters later with a two-RBI single to right and came around to score shortly after on a Rob Marinec double down the left field line, increasing the lead 4-0.

Joe Rizzo then scored Marinec with a RBI-single to left center, inciting a Ripon pitching change.  Following the pitching change, Ripon's Nathan Hopkins proceeded to hit three of the next four batters, including Gregorio with the bases loaded to plate another run.  Stoltz then capped the inning with two more RBI, lining a single to center to give North Central a commanding 8-0 lead.

Just for good measure, the Cardinals added four more runs in the bottom of the sixth on a two-RBI double off the bat of Listi, missing a grand slam by mere inches, and a two-RBI single from Gregorio to really put the game out of reach.

Klemm and Ryan Behling combined to strike out 13 Red Hawks while allowing just one hit in the seven-inning shortened contest, as Klemm earns his first win of the season and his 17^th in a Cardinal uniform, giving his sole possession of sixth all-time in program history, while his nine strikeouts move him into a tie for seventh with 149 career punch outs.

North Central racked up 11 hits in game one, as four Cardinals finished with multiple hits in the opener. Rios finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI, while Marinec added a 2-for-3 showing with a hit by pitch, two runs scored and one driven in.

Gregorio and Stoltz each finished with a pair of hits and three RBI apiece, while Listi added two RBI and three runs scored and Rizzo also added two runs and a RBI.

Game two began in the same fashion for North Central, as starter Luke Lamm struck out the side in the top of the first and five of the first six to start the game.

The offense then jumped on Ripon starter Ryan Cox right off the bat, as Rios lined a one-out single to right and Marinec was hit by a pitch to put two on ahead of Rizzo who promptly deposited his first homerun of the season, a three-run shot over the 365 sign in left center, giving the Cardinals an early 3-0 advantage.

North Central added two more in the bottom of the second, generating a little two-out magic as Stoltz reached on a bunt single to spark the rally, then proceeded to steal second, advance to third on a balk and come around to score on a Luke Lehnen base hit to right.  Lehnen then stole second and scored on a RBI-single from Rios, extending the lead 5-0.

After three-straight scoreless inning, the Cardinals caught fire again in the bottom of the sixth as Paul Beverly, Gregorio and Stoltz each singled to load the bases with nobody out.  Lehnen then lined the fourth-straight single of the inning up the middle to score Beverly, while Marinec unloaded the bases two batters later with a three-RBI triple down the left field line.

With Marinec on third, Rizzo lofted a sacrifice fly to right, before Listi extended the inning with a double to left center and advanced to third on a wild pitch.  A Ripon error extended the inning further allowing Listi to score, while Beverly made the Red Hawks pay again with a ground-rule double to right center, scoring Weilbacher and capping the seven-run sixth to give North Central a 12-0 lead.

Lamm earned the win in game two, tossing six shutout innings while scattering just a pair of hits, striking out 13 and walking none.

Stoltz and Beverly each finished 2-for-3 from the plate in the nightcap, as Stoltz also scored twice and Beverly drove in two.  Lehnen and Rios both finished 2-for-4, while Marinec was 1-for-2 with a walk, hit by pitch, two runs scored and three RBI.

North Central returns to play on Friday, Mar 12 in a top-25 matchup with 19^th-ranked Adrian College with first-pitch scheduled for 2 p.m. (ET) at Grand Park in Westfield, Indiana.