Maple Grove, MN -- Today, the baseball team from North Central University (NCU) hosted a series at home against the Martin Luther College (MLC) Knights. North Central previously faced Martin Luther in the 2024 season, in which the Rams took the victory in 2 out of the 3 games in the series. Today, North Central repeated history with a 12-6 to pick up their first conference win of the year. NCU third baseman, Abiram Terron De Jesus led the Rams offensively hitting 3-4, with 6 RBIs, 3 runs scored, a home run, a double, and a hit-by-pitch. Graduate Cardiff Smith had a solid outing on the mound, throwing 7.0 innings and only allowing two earned runs and one walk in his second win as a Ram. 

After a scoreless first inning, Martin Luther jumped on the board in the top of the second with an RBI fielder's choice to take a 1-0 lead. North Central threatened in the bottom half with runners in scoring position but came up empty. The Rams evened the score in the fourth inning when junior outfielder Jacobi Woodfin singled and later came around to score on a wild pitch. That sparked a momentum shift, and NCU broke the game open in the bottom of the fifth. Junior outfielder Jonah Taylor and sophomore outfielder Caleb Alfaro reached safely before senior catcher Teagan Burch was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Freshman third baseman Abiram Terron De Jesus delivered a two-run single to give the Rams a 3-1 lead. Junior first baseman Brett Letness added an RBI single, and later a sacrifice fly by senior Willy Cruz and an RBI knock from junior shortstop Dawson Barson stretched the lead to 6-1. North Central stayed hot in the sixth. Alfaro and Burch reached base again, and De Jesus continued his dominant day with a two-run double. Letness followed with another RBI single to bring the Rams' total to nine runs. Although MLC responded with two runs in the top of the seventh, the Rams answered right back in the bottom half. With Taylor and Alfaro aboard again, Alfaro stole second and forced an errant throw that allowed Taylor to score. Moments later, De Jesus launched a two-run homer to center field, capping a three-run frame and pushing the lead to 12-3. Martin Luther tacked on three late runs in the eighth to tighten the margin to 12-6, but senior left-hander Cameron Pittman closed out the ninth inning to secure the win for the Rams. Graduate student Cardiff Smith got the win on the bump, shoving 7.0 innings, scattering 6 hits, and giving up only 2 earned runs and 1 walk. 

Top Performers:

• Abiram Terron De Jesus (Fr., 3B): 3-4, 6 RBI, 3 R, HR, 2B, HBP
• Caleb Alfaro (So., LF): 1-1, 4 BB, 3 R, 2 SB
• Brett Letness (Jr., 1B): 2-5, 2 RBI, 2 R
• Dawson Barson (Jr., SS): 3-6, 2B, RBI
• Cardiff Smith (Gr., RHP): 7.0 IP, W, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K

Looking Ahead:

NCU will continue the series tomorrow in a doubleheader against MLC as they celebrate senior day. The games are set to begin at 1:00 PM and 4:00 PM.

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