MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- After a long stint on the road for three straight doubleheader matchups, the North Central University (NCU) baseball team was back on their home field on Tuesday afternoon when they hosted the College of St. Scholastica (CSS) Saints in a UMAC doubleheader. The Saints managed to quiet the Rams' bats on the afternoon, leading to NCU falling in both contests by final scores of 12 to zero and 17 to five.

Game One Recap

The Saints jumped out to an early lead right away in the bottom of the first and never looked back the latter seven innings of the game. The Rams found their way on the base paths several times, but were unable to execute with runners in scoring position to get a run across the plate. NCU ended up leaving nine runners on base total, four of which came from Rams getting on via walks. Despite the slow offensive start to the day for the blue and gold, Justin Torres (Palatine, IL, Palatine High School) managed to salvage his game one performance at the plate by finding his way on three times, two by hits and one by a walk.

Game Two Recap

The Rams got the offense going in game two, but were unable to keep up with the Saints' day at the plate. The matchup was highlighted by the second and sixth innings when CSS put nine runs up on the board in the two innings alone. Even though the Saints held the advantage all seven innings, North Central responded with offensive surges of their own. Kristian Garcia (Las Vegas, NV, Palo Verde High School) got the first run of the day up on the board for NCU in the bottom of the third. The Rams also pushed a run across in the fourth on a Torres walk that brought home Kyle Huerth (Moorpark, CA, Moorpark High School). The highlight of the day for North Central was in the bottom of the seventh when shortstop Rene Brockman (Tucson, AZ, Desert View High School) launched a home run over the left field wall to score Hayden Schigur (Stoughton, WI, Stoughton High School) and Noah Beckjorden (Shakopee, MN, Southwest Christian High School), ending the game at 17 to five in favor of St. Scholastica.

Key Performers

• Justin Torres led NCU at the plate with a 3-for-5 day comprising of a double, two singles, an RBI, and two walks.
• Rene Brockman recorded his fifth home run of the season that tallied three RBIs for the Arizona native.

Looking Ahead

North Central baseball now falls to an overall record of 6-11 (3-8 UMAC) on the season with just two more series to go. The Rams will host the Crown College Storm this coming Saturday at 1:30 and 4:00 p.m. for their final home doubleheader at Stan Cyson Field. To view our COVID-19 policy on fan attendance for the upcoming game, please click here. Fans are encouraged to stay posted to official Rams social media (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter) for all upcoming game information, such as live video and statistics.