St. Bonifacius, MN -- Saturday, North Central University (NCU) Softball continued their series with the Crown College (CC) Polars with a doubleheader matchup. Basing their attack on the results from Friday, the Rams looked to jump ahead early and carry momentum into the day. Despite consistent offensive flashes and improved pitching stretches, North Central fell in both contests, showing resilience at the plate throughout the afternoon.
Game 1: North Central 3, Crown 7
North Central showed persistence at the plate after a tough opening inning, battling back across the middle frames to generate offense and apply pressure late. After falling behind early, the Rams began to settle in offensively in the fourth inning. Sophomore catcher/infielder
Kaitlyn Havens reached base on a walk. Junior
Kianna Kidder pinch ran for Havens and later came around to score on a sacrifice fly from graduate pitcher
Alley Fleener, putting North Central on the board. The Rams continued to chip away in the fifth inning as freshman infielder
Alyssa Leos sparked the rally with a single before advancing into scoring position. Freshman shortstop
Reese Jenkins delivered with an RBI single to bring the Rams within striking distance. In the sixth, junior first baseman
Erica Gilles doubled to center the offense again, eventually leading to another run scored after aggressive baserunning and defensive pressure. North Central totaled six hits in the contest, with Gilles (1-for-3, double), Jenkins (1-for-3, RBI), Havens (1-for-2), and freshman utility player
Mykaela Broek (1-for-3, stolen base) each contributing offensively. Fleener went the distance in the circle, tossing 6.0 innings while striking out two and continuing to battle through adversity to keep the Rams competitive into the later innings.
Game 2: North Central 1, Crown 6
Game two saw another steady effort from the Rams, highlighted by timely hitting opportunities and defensive flashes despite the final score. North Central threatened early in the first inning as
Reese Jenkins and
Kaitlyn Havens each reached base, creating a scoring opportunity. The Rams continued to apply pressure throughout the game, putting runners on in multiple innings. In the fifth inning, North Central broke through as freshman infielder
Allina Mendoza reached base and came around to score on an RBI single from Jenkins, who continued her strong day at the plate. The Rams finished with four hits, including a double from freshman outfielder
Abi Rogers and a triple from freshman third baseman/catcher
Rhaina Boggess, showcasing extra-base power and offensive potential.
Alley Fleener again led the Rams in the circle, throwing a complete game with six innings pitched and working efficiently to limit damage across several innings. North Central showed defensive improvement as well, turning a double play and limiting additional scoring opportunities in key moments.
Top Performers:
Looking Ahead:
Up next, the Rams will return to a familiar field to take on the Northwestern Eagles on Wednesday, April 15th. This rescheduled game from March 18th is set for 4:00 PM at Reynolds Field in St. Paul, MN.
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.
