Box Score

NAPERVILLE, Ill. – Sin Fong homered leading off the 11th inning Tuesday to give North Central a 6-5 win over Augustana at Zimmerman Stadium. The Cardinals, 10-7 overall and 7-1 in the CCIW, completed a series sweep of the 24th-ranked Vikings, now 18-7 overall and 4-5 in the league.
 
With the scored tied 5-5 in the bottom on the 11th, Fong led off against senior Casey Weir (Warren HS, Wadsworth, Ill.) and launched his second homer of the season over the fence in left center. The blast made a winner of Nick Rogalski (2-1), while Weir suffered his first loss in four decisions this year.
 
The Cardinals rallied from a pair of two-run deficits to get the game to extra innings. They took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first on a Michael Mateja triple and a Brad Dubow (Naperville Central HS, Naperville, Ill.) wild pitch, but the Vikings struck for three run in the fifth. Senior Peter Doughty laced the first pitch of the inning from Russell Hoh into right center for two bases. He scored the tying run on a Cayton Wallace (Assumption HS, Rock Island, Ill.) infield hit one out later. A pair of North Central errors and a Tyler Nunez (Byron HS, Byron, Ill.) infield hit plated Wallace with the go-ahead run and John Moraski (Kewanee HS, Kewanee, Ill.) knocked in another with a fielder's choice.
 
After the run in the first, Dubow settled in and threw five scoreless innings. However, after retiring the first two batters in the seventh, he hit John Carmody with a pitch and Ryan Scott followed with a game-tying, two-run homer to left.
 
Augustana answered right back in the top of the eighth. Moraski drew a leadoff walk, prompting Hoh to leave in favor of Rogalski. Rogalksi retired his first batter, but Mitchel Ruh (Hinckley-Big Rock HS, Big Rock, Ill.) followed by launching a 2-2 offering over the left field fence for his second homer of the season to give the Vikings a 5-3 lead.
 
Senior Nick Refka (Palatine HS, Palatine., Ill.) relieved Dubow to start the bottom of the eighth and need just four pitches to coax a pair of groundouts. However, Mateja reached on an infield hit and Nick Sotiros hit the first pitch he saw for a home run to left center, tying the game at 5-5. The blast was Sotiros' third round-tripper of the season.
 
Returning from an extended absence with a leg injury, Dubow gave Coach Greg Wallace seven solid innings. He allowed three hits and three runs, issuing just one walk while fanning seven. Doughty had two of Augustana's eight hits.
 
The Vikings travel to Decatur, Illinois o Friday, April 14 to face Millikin in a doubleheader scheduled for 1:00 p.m.