Mauston, WI -- Rams baseball played a neutral site game against conference opponent Northland College. This was the first conference game for the Rams and they fought hard. They would lose the lead they built in the first two innings and end up dropping the first game of the series.
 

First-year Ram, Michael Escalante, started on the mound for the Blue and Gold. NCU started the game with an RBI in the first inning from Kyle Huerth. Teagan Burch would follow a few batters later knocking in another run for the Rams in the top of the first. The Lumberjacks would score three in the bottom of the first, taking a 3-2 lead over the Rams. The game would move right along until the fourth when the Lumberjacks would score three more runs in the bottom of the inning. The Blue and Gold would storm back in the top of the fifth, scoring five runs with multiple hits. North Central would load the bases and put pressure on Northland. Escalante started the rally with a walk, scoring one. Casey Welsh hit a double down the left-field line which would score two more runs for the Rams. An error by the opposing center fielder would allow NCU to score two more runs to cap off their five-run inning and take back the lead 7-6. Their lead wouldn't last long as the Lumberjacks would score four runs in the bottom of the sixth and four more in the bottom of the seventh. North Central would string together two hits in the top of the ninth, but it wouldn't produce any runs for the Rams. The Rams lost game one of the three-game series 14-7.
 

Key Performers:

• Casey Welsh (Pequot Lakes, MN) had a double and two RBIs for the Rams.
• Kyle Huerth (Moorpark, CA) went 1-4 with a single and an RBI.
• Teagan Burch (St. Paul, MN) went 1-3 with three RBIs.

Looking Ahead:

North Central's Baseball team will head back to Mauston, WI to finish their three-game series against Northland, Sunday, April 2nd. They will play a doubleheader with the first pitch at 1 pm.