Warriors Walk-Off North Central For Saturday Split

NAPERVILLE, Ill. (WLCSports.com) - The Wisconsin Lutheran College baseball team erased a five-run deficit and scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning for a thrilling 9-8 walk-off win over North Central (Ill.) Saturday in game two of their doubleheader at Zimmerman Stadium. The Cardinals held on for a 4-2 win over the Warriors in the opener.

• Final Scores: RV North Central 4, Wisconsin Lutheran 2; Wisconsin Lutheran 9, RV North Central 8
• Records: Wisconsin Lutheran (6-5), North Central (9-2)
• Location: Zimmerman Stadium, Naperville, Ill.

• After a scoreless opening inning, the Cardinals, who are seven spots out of the D3baseball.com Top 25, scored three times in the second on two hits and an error as four straight batters reached base.
• The Warriors plated their first run in the fourth after Ryan Dominick's (Bartlett, Ill.) RBI single up the middle scored Jake Schwall (West Allis, Wis.). WLC threatened for more, but left the bases loaded with only one out.
• North Central tacked on its fourth run in the fifth after a leadoff triple followed by an RBI groundout.
• WLC didn't go away quietly in its last at-bats as three straight batters reached safely with one out and Nick Poblocki (Bartlett, Ill.) scored on an error to trim the deficit to 4-2. The Cardinals' Justin Rios fanned the final two batters of the game with the go-ahead run at the plate.
• Schwall and Johnny Offenbacher (Waukesha, Wis.) led the Warriors with two hits each. Dylan Knoespel (Brillion, Wis.) pitched 5.0 innings, allowing three earned runs and suffered the loss. Jake Wiedower (St. Francis, Wis.) pitched 3.0 scoreless innings of relief

• The Cardinals rallied with two outs in the first inning for three runs on three hits to take an early 3-0 lead. The Warriors loaded the bases in their half of the first, but couldn't plate any runs.
• NCC capitalized on a two-out error with the bases loaded in the second inning for a 5-0 lead.
• WLC cut its deficit to two runs in the third with a three-spot. Gunner Amelunk (Wales, Wis.), Brannigan Hart (Davie, Fla.), and Schwall each crossed home on fielder's choice scoring plays in the inning,
• After a three-up, three-down fourth, North Central added a run on a one-out double for a 6-3 lead. Wisconsin Lutheran then plated a pair of runs in its half on a Sid Lehman (Theresa, Wis.) RBI groundout and a Joey Tilley (Muskego, Wis.) RBI single.
• Following consecutive scoreless frames in the sixth and seventh, the Cardinals took a 7-5 lead in the eighth on a two-out RBI single.
• The Warriors loaded the bases with one out in the eighth and tied the game at 7-7 after Amelunk's infield single scored Dominick and Hart's fielder's choice scored Matthew Schulenburg (Hampshire, Ill.).
• North Central led off the ninth inning with a solo shot to right for an 8-7 lead, but were retired in order after that.
• Tilley (walk) and Dominick (hit by pitch) reached base with one out in the bottom of the ninth and Schulenburg followed with an RBI double down the left field line to knot the score at 8-8.
• With runners on second and third, Offenbacher drove in the game-winning run with his grounder to second for the 9-8 final.
• Hart led the Warriors with three hits, while Amelunk and Schulenburg added two each. Eight different players recorded RBIs in the game.
• Diego Solares (Huntley, Ill.) pitched the final inning of scoreless relief to earn his first win of the season.

• Jeremy Quade went 2-for-3 with two RBIs for the Cardinals in game one. Charlie Klemm allowed just one run over 7.0 innings to pickup the win. Rios notched his second save of the season.
• Colin Weilbacher went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored in game two. Rios suffered the loss in relief, allowing one run on one hit.

• The Warriors are next scheduled to host Beloit (6-5) in a non-conference doubleheader Wednesday for their home opener starting at 12:30 p.m.