Roseville, MN --  North Central University (NCU) baseball continued Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) play today as they finished their three-game series versus the Eagles from the University of Northwestern St. Paul (UNW). North Central would be swept by Northwestern and start UMAC play 0-3. The Eagles took game one from the Rams by a score of 10-0. NCU would have a better approach at the plate in game two but the defense still struggled as UNW took game two by a score of 7-4. 

Game 1: NCU 0, UNW 10

The Eagles came out swinging right away as they scored three runs in the first two innings off 5 hits and an error. Freshman pitcher Nick Julian would be able to slow the UNW bats as he put up zeros in innings 3 and 4. In the 5th inning, the Eagles found their grove offensively and went on to score in every inning for the rest of the game. North Central would only be able to muster two hits in game one as Caleb Alfaro and Jon Roberts would be the only Rams able to reach base on hits. In the end, Northwestern scored 10 runs on 18 hits and run-ruled North Central in the 8th inning. 

Game 2: NCU 4, UNW 7

In game two, Northwestern gained a lead right away as they put up a crooked number in the top of the 2nd. The Eagles were able to plate 4 runs on 3 hits and 2 Rams errors. They scored another run at the top of the 3rd. NCU was able to score a run of their own in the home half of the 3rd as Julian Encinas grounded out to score Caleb Alfaro. The Rams seemed to find a groove offensively as they scored 3 more runs in the 4th to make it 5-4 still in favor of the Eagles. Unfortunately, North Central lost their offensive rhythm as UNW's reliever held them scoreless for the rest of the game. The Eagles plated two more runs in the 5th and 6th as they defeated the Rams with a final score of 7-4. 

Top Performers:

Caleb Alfaro (Fr., LF) - went a combined 3-8 (2 RBI, R, BB) on the day
Jon Roberts (SO., 2B/3B) - went a combined 2-5 (2 BB, R) across both games
Nick Julian (Fr., RHP) - went 5+ IP with 7 SO in game one

Looking Ahead:

North Central Baseball will head to Northfield, MN to take on the Knights of Carleton College next Tuesday in a non-conference doubleheader. First pitch of game one is set for 2:00 pm!

All fans are encouraged to tune into the official Rams Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter pages for updates on baseball and all things NCU Athletics.