St. Bonifacius, MN - Today, the baseball team from North Central University (NCU) traveled to Saint Bonifacius to begin their series against the Crown College (CC) Polars. When the Rams faced the Polars last year, North Central was swept by Crown in all three games of their series. This afternoon, the Rams fell in the series opener by a final score of 15-2.

After a quiet top of the first inning from the Rams, the Polars came out swinging in their half of the frame, scoring five quick runs to take early control. A defensive miscue and a passed ball added to the early damage. North Central threatened in the second inning as Jordan Trevino and Willy Cruz notched back-to-back singles. However, a baserunning miscue cut the rally short, and the Rams couldn't capitalize. Crown added two more runs in the bottom of the second, but North Central finally got on the board in the third. After Jayden Mersereau worked a walk, he advanced to third on a deep flyout and a throwing error. Junior infielder Dawson Barson drove him in with a sacrifice fly to left, putting the Rams on the board. Crown continued to apply pressure offensively, plating three in the fourth and another three in the fifth to widen the gap. Despite the offensive output from their opponents, the Rams kept battling. North Central's second run came in the sixth inning. Steven Fortune drew a leadoff walk and was followed by a single from Barson, with Teagan Burch adding a base hit of his own to load the bases. With one out, graduate student Nate Boyer delivered a sacrifice fly to bring home Fortune. The Rams would leave the bases loaded, however, as Crown wiggled out of the jam. In the final frame, senior Chris Garza laced a single to right, but the Rams couldn't mount a late rally, and the game concluded with a 15-2 loss.

Top Performers:

• Dawson Barson (Jr., SS): 1-3 with a single and an RBI sacrifice fly
• Teagan Burch (Sr., 1B): Reached base twice, recording a single and a walk

Looking Ahead:

North Central will continue their series tomorrow as they face Crown in a doubleheader. The games are set for 1:00 PM and 4:00 PM.

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