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Box Score 2 MINNETONKA, Minn. – North Central University (NCU) was in action Tuesday evening for their first action of the season in Minnesota. The Rams squared off against the Crown Storm in a non-conference doubleheader at Veteran's Memorial Field in Minnetonka, Minnesota. The Storm manufactured some late game offense in both games as they bested the Rams 6-0 in game one and 10-0 in game two as the Storm swept the evening non-conference series.
GAME ONE RECAP
Junior Blazsen Ferreira (L, 0-1) took the mound for the Rams in game one. Crown jumped on Ferreira early scoring one run in the first inning, but then the right-hander really started to settle in. Ferreira allowed just two hits to the Storm in his 3.0 innings pitched while also sending two Crown batters down on strikes.
Through five innings the Rams had allowed just the one run that the Storm produced in the first inning, but still found themselves trailing due to the inability to string hits together. Senior Brandon Scott looked to flip the momentum in the 5th inning with a shot hit to straight away center, but Crown's Derek Albers plucked the ball out of the air and brought it back over the fence, keeping the score at 1-0 in favor of the Storm.
Crown compiled five more runs in the 6th inning on two hits and three Ram's errors to add to their lead, creating a six run cushion between the Storm and the Rams. NCU made a little noise in the final frame of the contest as they had runners on third and second with no outs, but were unable to get those runners across the plate as they fell in game one by a score of 6-0
GAME TWO RECAP
NCU looked to even the series with the Storm in game number two, under the lights of Veteran's Memorial Field. The two ball clubs found themselves in a classic pitcher's duel as neither one were able to find many holes in the defense early. Crown was the first to make some noise on the scoreboard as they used a hit and an error to score two in the top of the 5th to take the lead, this was the first blemish to Senior pitcher Andrew Kemper's day as he had been rolling. Kemper (L, 0-1) finished his night with only one earned run, while also striking out nine Crown batters in his 5.0 innings pitched.
The Storm stretched their momentum into the 6th inning as they opened their lead to seven with a five run inning. The Rams failed to produce any late game magic as they struggled to string timely hits together. With NCU unable to find offensive production, Crown added three more in the final inning en route to a 10-0 victory over the Rams.
Next Up
North Central will be back in Minnetonka on Thursday and Friday of this week as they will host a four game series with Maranatha Baptist. The first pitch of Thursday's doubleheader is set for a 6:30 p.m. first pitch while Friday's doubleheader will begin at 5:30 p.m.
MEDIA: If you need further information, please feel free to contact Justin Brown at 612-343-3539 or email Jdbrown@northcentral.edu.
