Maple Grove, MN -- This afternoon, the softball team from North Central University (NCU) hosted a series against the Crown College (CC) Polars. In the previous meeting between these two competitors, the Polars swept the Rams in all three games in last year's series. Today, the Rams would fall to the Polars once again with a score of ...

The Rams found themselves in an early hole as Crown opened the top of the first inning with a flurry of hits, quickly pushing across four runs. North Central's defense regrouped with a strikeout by freshman pitcher Addison Schroer and a heads-up play to limit further damage. Senior Isabela Gallardo responded in the bottom of the first with a leadoff double, but the Rams couldn't convert the scoring opportunity. The second inning saw Crown add five more runs. Still, North Central sparked some life when Aurora Prettyman reached on an infield single and swiped second. Gilles followed with an RBI single to right to plate Prettyman and put NCU on the board. In the third, Crown added more runs, including a solo home run, but the Rams showed resilience. Senior third baseman Delaney Riddle singled, and freshman Kaitlyn Havens followed with a double. However, the Rams stranded both in scoring position. Prettyman continued her strong day in the fourth, singling and advancing to third on a passed ball. Gilles brought her home with a lineout RBI. Later in the inning, Ruzek smashed a double to left to spark some life. Isabela Gallardo took over pitching duties in the fifth, and while Crown tacked on two more runs, the reliever was able to tally a pair of strikeouts. Junior outfielder Charley Kastl singled and came around to score on a groundout RBI by Schroer after an error moved her to third.

Top Performers:

• Aurora Prettyman (Sr., C): 2-3, 2 R, SB
• Erica Gilles (So.,1B): 1-2, 2 RBI
• Isabela Gallardo (Sr., SS/P): 1-3, 2B; 1.0 IP, 2 SO, 1 ER in relief

Looking Ahead:

Up next, the Rams return to Gleason Field to wrap up their season series versus the Polars with a doubleheader starting at 2:00 PM. 

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