From University of Chicago Athletics
The University of Chicago baseball team jumped on North Central College in the first inning and utilized solid pitching from there to pick up a 7-3 victory on Wednesday.
The Maroons improved to 11-15 and have won three of their past four games. The Cardinals fell to 20-12 on the year.
UChicago wasted no time getting on top as sophomore shortstop Ryan Krob jacked a two-run homer to straight-away left field in the first inning. Sophomore first baseman Thomas Prescott drove in one with a groundout, and freshman catcher Matt Slodzinski singled up the middle to make the score 4-0.
Krob delivered again his very next at-bat. The sophomore doubled to the left center wall to plate sophomore outfielder Nicholas Toomey, who had tripled right beforehand. The third time was the charm as well in the fourth inning when Krob collected a sacrifice fly RBI to push the lead to 6-0.
Senior starting pitcher Anthony DeRenzo held up his end throughout on the mound. The right hander stranded runners in scoring position in three of the opening four innings. The Cardinals eventually got onto the scoreboard with a run-scoring double and single in the top of the fifth to draw to within 6-2.
UChicago got one back in the bottom of the fifth. Freshman outfielder Max Larsen lofted a sacrifice fly to left field to score the runner from third base. The home team loaded the bases with no outs in the seventh inning, but North Central escaped the jam unscathed.
The Cardinals scored one run in the ninth inning on a single to center field. Senior relief pitcher Simon Swanson then forced a popout on the infield to end the game.
DeRenzo earned the win in 7-2/3 innings to even his season mark at 1-1. The senior got North Central's batters to chase high fastballs all afternoon, resulting in plenty of flyouts. DeRenzo struck out six while allowing two runs, nine hits and two walks. Swanson wrapped up the final 1-1/3 innings with one run, two hits, one walk and one strikeout.
UChicago's batters totaled eight hits in the game and the defense committed two errors. Krob led the offense by going 2-for-4 with one home run and four RBI. Prescott went 2-for-4 with one RBI.