COON RAPIDS, Minn. -- On their last day of the season, the North Central University (NCU) baseball team finished off their series with Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) opponent Bethany Lutheran College (BLC). The Vikings won the first game 16-5 and the second game 11-0.

Game One Recap

The first matchup of the day started off well from the Rams as their defense took down three Vikings batters in a row with two strikeouts from NCU pitcher, Christian Rodriguez (Tuscon, AZ, Catalina Foothills High School). Following this, Kyle Huerth (Moorpark, CA, Moorpark High School) doubled to right field and was brought by Julian Encinas' (Tucson, AZ, Amphitheater High school) single to right field to put the Rams up 1-0 at the end of the first inning. However, BLC responded with a hefty five runs in the second inning. The Vikings didn't stop there and scored five more runs in innings three and four. In turn, NCU struggled at bat and at keeping BLC from getting home. In the fifth inning, while the Rams didn't score themselves, they did hold the Vikings scoreless. The sixth inning brought more runs for BLC and some for NCU as well. With bases loaded, Daniel Montana (Tucson, AZ, Cienega High School) singled to center field, consequently bringing in Nicolas Sheley (Pendleton, Oregon, Pendleton High School). Noah Block (Greendale, WI, Greendale Senior High School) then singled which brought in two runs one from Nate Boyer (Tempe, AZ, Seton Catholic High School) and the other from Kristian Garcia (Las Vegas, LV, Palo Verde High School). The seventh inning brought in zero runs for either team. The Rams did score one run in the eighth and final inning off a double from Jack Parker (Bordentown, NJ, Bordentown Regional High School) to bring in Block, but the Vikings had already built a lead early in the game that was too much for NCU to overcome.

Game Two Recap

BLC started out the game with three pop ups, one to second baseman Rodriguez, shortstop Matthew Oakley (Concord, NC, International Christian School of Budapest), and center fielder Huerth. NCU started out the game similarly with two strikeouts and one groundout. In the second inning, the Vikings took the lead by two runs and then went up by three in the third inning. The Ram's first hit of the second game came in the third inning when Huerth doubled to right field, but was left on base when the inning ended. BLC continued to score throughout the game with two runs in the fourth inning, one in the fifth, and five in the sixth. NCU's second and last hit of the night came in the fifth inning when Huerth singled but this time never reached the base as another runner was thrown out. In the seventh inning, the Rams quickly secured three outs throughout a strikeout by pitcher Devin O'Dell (Frederic, MI, Gaylord St. Marys School), a caught ball by Huerth, and groundout secured by first baseman Encinas. The Vikings ended the game with three outs of their own and went home up two games.

Key Performers

• Noah Block recorded two RBI's and one run off of two for three hits.
• Going three for five from the plate, Jack Parker added in one RBI.
• Kyle Huerth had both of the Rams' hits in the second matchup and also snagged four put outs at center field.

Looking Ahead

The Rams finish the season with a record of 7-18 overall and 4-12 in the conference, ranking them sixth in the UMAC. All fans are encouraged to tune into official Rams Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter pages for updates on the baseball team and much more information.