CHICAGO, ILL – Despite a strong showing from the Illinois Tech bullpen, the Scarlet Hawks couldn't overcome an early deficit, falling 12-6 to North Central at Ed Glancy Field. The Cardinals jumped ahead early and capitalized on defensive miscues by the Scarlet Hawks to seal the win in the non conference action. The loss drops the Scarlet Hawks to 9-13 while maintaining their 5-3 NACC record. North Central improves to 11-13 on the year.
How It Happened
North Central opened the game with a quick 1-0 lead in the first, but Illinois Tech responded immediately, as
Tyler Gutsfeld launched a solo home run to lead off the game for the Hawks.
Jack Friar stole home in a daring double-steal to give the Scarlet Hawks a 2-1 lead. However, the third and fourth innings turned the tide in the Cardinals' favor.
North Central struck for five runs in the third and added six more in the fourth, aided by three Scarlet Hawk errors and a grand slam by Parker Wyatt that put the Scarlet Hawks in a 12-3 hole.
From there, the Illinois Tech bullpen turned in a much-needed shutdown performance. Freshman reliever
Gabriel Kotwasinski entered in the fourth and kept North Central off the scoreboard in a clean fifth inning.
Alexander Lazes followed with two strong innings, striking out two and allowing just one hit.
Haron Abuelhija closed out the final two frames in his collegiate debut without allowing a run, limiting the Cardinals to one hit and striking out two.
The Scarlet Hawks chipped away late, with RBI singles from
Jack Finch in the sixth and seventh, but the early damage proved too much to overcome. Illinois Tech's relievers combined for 6.1 innings of work, allowing just one earned run and striking out four — a bright spot in the 12-6 defeat.
Scarlet Hawk Standouts
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Tyler Gutsfeld: 2-for-5, HR, RBI
•
Jack Finch: 2-for-4, 2 RBI
•
Gabriel Kotwasinski: 1.0 IP, 0 R, 0 H
•
Alexander Lazes: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 K
•
Haron Abuelhija: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 K
Inside the Box Score
• North Central scored 11 of their 12 runs in the 3rd and 4th innings.
• Illinois Tech's bullpen posted a 1.42 ERA across 6.1 innings.
• The Scarlet Hawks stole 4 bases, including a steal of home by
Jack Friar.
• Illinois Tech committed 5 errors, leading to 6 unearned runs.
Up Next
Baseball returns to NACC action on Wednesday as they make the trip to Milwaukee to face MSOE in a doubleheader on April 9th with a 3 p.m. first pitch.
