St. Paul, MN -- Today, the North Central University (NCU) baseball team made their way to St. Paul to face the University of Northwestern (UNW) Eagles to kick off conference play for the 2025 season. In the previous meeting between the two teams, the Rams were swept by the Eagles in all three games of their series in the 2024 regular season. Today, Northwestern would defeat North Central once again as they ended the day with a final score of 11-6.

North Central wasted no time getting on the board in the top of the first inning. Junior outfielder Jacobi Woodfin led off with a single and was followed by a walk from senior catcher Teagan Burch. With two outs, junior first baseman Brett Letness delivered the first big hit of the day, ripping a two-run double to left center to give the Rams an early 2-0 lead. The Eagles responded in the bottom of the first with two runs of their own, tying the game 2-2 after capitalizing on a defensive miscue and timely hitting. In the third inning, the Rams reclaimed the lead. Sophomore outfielder Caleb Alfaro reached base and advanced on a throwing error before Letness struck again with an RBI single to center, making it 3-2. Once again, Northwestern had an answer in the bottom of the inning, evening the score at 3-3. Freshman infielder Abiram Terron De Jesus kept the offense alive in the fourth with his second hit of the day, and senior infielder Chris Garza followed with another single. But despite collecting three hits in the frame, NCU couldn't push across a run. The Eagles seized momentum in the fifth, stringing together a series of hits and driving in four runs to break open a 7-3 lead. Sophomore pitcher Nolan Taylor came on in relief of junior starter Tim Yohan Dixon, who exited after allowing seven runs (six earned) in 4.2 innings. In the seventh, North Central showed signs of life. After singles by Dawson Barson and Alfaro, Letness drove in another run with a sacrifice fly. Then, junior outfielder Jonah Taylor added an RBI single to cut the deficit to 7-5. Down by five again heading into the eighth, the Rams rallied once more. Garza drew a walk, and Woodfin reached on an error to load the bases. Burch was hit by a pitch for the third time this season, scoring a run and trimming the margin to 10-6. However, a hard lineout by Alfaro ended the threat. Northwestern tacked on one final insurance run in the eighth, and North Central couldn't mount a ninth-inning rally despite a two-out single from Terron De Jesus. Despite the loss, the Rams showcased some gritty offensive performances and competitive at-bats throughout the game.

Top Performers:

• Brett Letness (Jr., 1B): 2-4, 3 RBIs, 1 double, 1 sacrifice fly
• Abiram Terron De Jesus (Fr., 3B): 3-5, 1 stolen base
• Jacobi Woodfin (Jr., RF): 2-for-5, 1 run scored

Looking Ahead:

NCU will complete their series against UNW as they compete in a doubleheader tomorrow. The games are set for 1:00 PM and 4:00 PM.

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