Roseville, MN -- North Central's Baseball team (NCU) had a non-conference doubleheader against Maranatha Baptist University (Sabercats). Both games were played at Reynolds Field in Roseville. North Central was considered the home team in this neutral site game. They would end up splitting the two-game series.
 

Game one:
 

Christian Rodriguez started on the mound and got hot quickly. He would pitch six shutout innings with seven strikeouts. The Rams' offense had a quiet first inning but exploded in the second and beyond. Chris Garza would start off the bats with a single to center field. Mike Maanum would follow it up with a double to center, scoring Garza. Rodriguez hit a double to right field. After a passed ball, Michael Escalante would rocket a double to left field. Kyle Huerth and Daniel Montana hit back-to-back doubles scoring two more runs in the process. NCU would go scoreless the next few innings, but they would get more runs in the bottom of the fourth. Huerth would single and steal a base to put himself in scoring position. Montana would hit another double scoring Huerth. Casey Welsh would hit an RBI with the bases loaded. Garza hit a sacrifice fly, making the score 7-0. The offense would continue to flourish and Maanum would hit a grand slam to cap off an eight-run inning in the bottom of the fifth. Julian Encinas would come in relief in the top of the seventh and get the hold as The Rams would win game one 15-0.

Game two:
 

Escalante got the call for game two. Things wouldn't be the same as the defense struggled in the first inning, surrendering four runs. In the bottom of the second, Welsh would hit a sacrifice fly to give the Rams a run. The Sabercats would tack on more runs gaining a 6-1 lead. In the bottom of the fourth the Blue and Gold would bring the game to one, thanks to RBIs from Nate Boyer, Encinas, and Garza. Maranatha would shut down the momentum and score three runs that ultimately sealed the game. NCU had a flash of hope with another RBI from Garza in the bottom of the seventh, but they couldn't finish the comeback. North Central would lose game two 9-6.

Top Performers:

• Teagan Burch (St. Paul, MN) went 4-6 at the plate with 3 RBIs.
• Christian Rodriguez (Tuscon, AZ) pitched six scoreless innings, then went 3-7 at the dish.
• Mike Maanum (Fergus Falls, MN) had three hits in game one, including his first grand slam, knocking in 5 RBIs.
• Chris Garza (San Antonio, TX) went 4-7 at the plate with 2 doubles and 3 RBIs on the day.

Looking Ahead:

North Central will take on Martin Luther College in a doubleheader at Reynolds Field (Northwestern). First Pitch for game one is at 1 PM and at 4 PM for game two.