Maple Grove, MN -- This afternoon, the North Central University (NCU) baseball team began the closing regular season series at home against the University of Minnesota-Morris (UMM) Cougars. When the Rams faced the Cougars in the 2024 season, NCU fell in two out of the three games of the series. Today, North Central would take the first victory of the series with a final score of 8-5. An 8-run explosion in the 4th inning for the Rams would be enough to take down the Cougars.
North Central fell behind early after Morris capitalized on a wild pitch in the top of the first inning to score the game's opening run. The visitors added single runs in the third and fourth innings, taking a 3-0 lead into the bottom of the fourth. That's when the Rams erupted at the plate. Senior catcher Teagan Burch drew a leadoff walk to ignite the rally. Junior Jonah Taylor followed with a single, and junior Brett Letness added another hit to load the bases. Sophomore designated hitter Jacob Garcia brought in the first run with a single, and a throwing error allowed another runner to score, cutting the deficit to 3-2. Junior outfielder Jacobi Woodfin drove in the tying run with an RBI single, and sophomore Nolan Taylor drew a walk to load the bases again. Junior shortstop Dawson Barson delivered a go-ahead RBI single to put the Rams in front 4-3. However, North Central wasn't done yet. Sophomore captain Caleb Alfaro blasted a two-run double to extend the lead to 6-3, and freshman third baseman Abiram Terron De Jesus capped the inning with a two-RBI single to center, giving the Rams a commanding 8-3 advantage as NCU completely flipped the game on hits head. On the mound, graduate student Cardiff Smith picked up his third win of the season with a solid five-inning start, allowing just two earned runs and striking out seven. Freshman Tim Bullert and Tim Yohan Dixon each pitched scoreless frames out of the bullpen, keeping Morris off the board through the seventh and eighth innings. Though Morris threatened in the ninth and pushed across two runs, Letness closed the door on the mound to seal the win.
Top Performers:
- Dawson Barson (Jr., SS): 3-5, RBI, R
- Jacobi Woodfin (Jr., RF): 2-4, RBI, R
- Abiram Terron De Jesus (Fr., 3B): 1-4, 2 RBI, BB
- Cardiff Smith (Gr., RHP): 5.0 IP, W, 2 ER, 5 H, 7 SO
Looking Ahead:
The Rams will conclude the 2025 season with a doubleheader against the Cougars tomorrow, beginning at 3:00 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.
