By Jami Sponaugle
Naperville, Ill. - In what was supposed to be the Illinois Tech Scarlet Hawks baseball team's home opener on Saturday with a double-header, turned into a single game away contest on Sunday due to weather conditions. Although weather conditions were better on Sunday, the two sides competed in 39 degree temperatures with 15-20 mph winds, a major difference from a few days ago when both sides were competing down in Florida.
The Hawks (5-5) trailed early and were unable to make up the deficit to the Cardinals (10-3) as they dropped the non-conference contest 6-2.
North Central 6 - Illinois Tech 2
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In the bottom of the first inning, the Cardinals picked up their first two runs of the game. The first coming from a sac-fly to center field. A wild pitch followed, giving the Cardinals an early 2-0 lead.
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The Cardinals added another run in the bottom of the second to extend their lead over the Hawks.
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The two sides then remained scoreless until the 8th inning. After being down 1-0 in the count, Connor Blake doubled to left center to get on base. Brandon Bennitt then stepped up to bat and homered out to right field to put the Hawks on the board. As the Hawks trailed by one, the Cardinals looked to extend their lead in the bottom of the inning. With someone on third and first, the Cardinals singled to left field to score one runner. The Cardinals then sealed their victory with a run off a single to defeat the Hawks 6-2.
Scarlet Hawk Standouts
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Blake had 1 run and 2 hits in 4 at-bats
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Bennitt provided 1 run, 1 hit, and 2 RBI's from 3 at-bats.
Cardinals Standouts
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Michael Davis finished with 1 run, 2 hits, and 1 RBI in 3 at-bats.
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John Michael Scumaci finished with 1 run, 2 hits, and 1 RBI in 4 at-bats
Head Coach Ed Zeifert Comments
"I think we are learning what it takes to play with some of the top teams in the country. We did some really amazing things today that should provide both targets for achievement and confidence that we can play with anybody."
Up Next
The Hawks and Cardinals will return to action on Tuesday, this time in Chicago where the Hawks will hold their home opener of the season on Ed Glancy Field. The non-conference game is set to start at 3:00 p.m.