Mankato, MN -- The North Central University (NCU) baseball team traveled south to Mankato to take on the Bethany Lutheran College (BLC) Vikings in game one of their three-game series. Despite putting up 7 hits to BLC's 8 hits, the Rams had too many defensive lapses leading to 4 total errors and a 13-2 loss. 

The game kicked off with the Vikings taking an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning. As the game progressed, the Rams fought hard to stay in contention. Pitcher Michael Escalante showed great composure on the mound, as he got the Rams out of the second inning with no additional runs given up. With runners on base, Lorenzo Bazan delivered a powerful hit to center field, driving Christian Rodriguez and Nick Julian home and securing a 2-1 lead for NCU heading into the top of the third. However, BLC responded with a strong offensive showing in the later innings, extending their lead with timely hits and aggressive base running. Despite NCU's best efforts, they were unable to contain Bethany Lutheran's steady offensive output. Defensive struggles led to four total North Central errors. The game wrapped up at the bottom of the 7th, as the Rams fell in game one by a final score of 13-2. 

Top Performers:

Christian Rodriguez (Sr., RF) - went 2-3 with one scored run
Lorenzo Bazan (So., CF) - went 1-3 with two RBIs

Looking Ahead:

The team will play a doubleheader against Bethany Lutheran once again tomorrow, April 6th @ 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.