Maple Grove, MN -- This evening, the Rams played their final doubleheader of the season as they faced the University of Minnesota-Morris (UMM) Cougars. Yesterday, North Central posted an 8-run inning that propels them to an 8-5 win over Morris. In today's doubleheader, the Rams would take both losses with scores of 15-11 and 11-4 to close out the 2025 season.
Game 1: NCU 11, UMM 15
North Central came out hot in the first inning as junior Dawson Barson doubled and scored on a ground-rule double from Caleb Alfaro to take an early 1-0 lead. After UMM pushed ahead 4-1 by the third, NCU responded in the bottom half when Nolan Taylor singled, stole second, and came home on an RBI single by Teagan Burch narrowing the deficit to two. Though the Rams would fall behind 11-2 by the seventh inning, the offense mounted a spirited late-game rally. In the bottom of the seventh, NCU loaded the bases with a pair of hit-by-pitches and an infield single before Jonah Taylor drew a bases-loaded walk and Brett Letness added a sacrifice fly to cut the gap to 11-5. Then in the eighth, Burch was plunked for the second time, forcing in a run, and Abiram Terron De Jesus drew a bases-loaded walk to bring the Rams within six. NCU's biggest push came in the ninth, when Jacob Garcia led off with a double and Alfaro crushed a two-run double down the left field line. Burch followed with a no-doubt homer to left, bringing NCU within 15-11. Terron De Jesus worked a walk to keep the momentum alive, but the comeback bid ended with a fielder's choice groundout.
Game 2: NCU 4. UMM 11
The Rams jumped out to a 2-1 lead in the first inning of game two. Dawson Barson and Caleb Alfaro both reached, and Teagan Burch delivered again, driving them home with a double down the right-field line. Abiram Terron De Jesus followed with a single to move Burch to third, but NCU's early threat was halted on a pickoff double play. UMM responded quickly with a five-run second inning, highlighted by back-to-back home runs. NCU tried to answer in the bottom half, as Jacobi Woodfin doubled, but three quick outs followed. After falling behind 9-2 by the fourth, the Rams added one in the fifth. Barson drew a walk and Alfaro punched a single to right before Burch hit his second RBI double of the day, trimming the lead to 9-3. The Rams would later add one more run in the ninth as Jordan Trevino walked and scored on a sacrifice fly by Alfaro, but the deficit proved too much to overcome.
Top Performers:
- Teagan Burch (Sr., C): combined 5-7, HR, 7 RBI, 2 R, 2 2B, 2 HBP, BB
- Caleb Alfaro (So., LF/CF): 5-10, 4 RBI, 2 R, 2 2B, SF
- Dawson Barson (Jr., SS): combined 4-8, 6 R, 2B, BB, HBP
Looking Ahead:
This doubleheader concludes the 2025 baseball season.
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.
