NAPERVILLE, Ill. – The University of Chicago baseball team knocked off No. 12-ranked North Central College Cardinals 14-6 on Tuesday afternoon behind excellent relief pitching and a 20-hit offensive explosion.

The win improved the Maroons to 14-14 while dropping the Cardinals to 26-7.

Junior outfielder Nicholas Toomey had a huge day out of the three-hole, reaching base in all five of his plate appearances. He went 3-for-3 with a double, a career-high four RBI and two walks. Fellow junior shortstop Ryan Krob equaled Toomey with four RBI and hit his first home run of the year – the fourth of his career. The juniors' big days were just the beginning, as the Maroon offense scored in seven out of the nine innings. Sophomore third basemen Michael Davis tallied four singles (4-for-6, RBI), while freshmen catcher Ian Bohn (3-for-6, RBI) and second basemen Max Brzostowski (3-for-5, RBI) also added three hits.

The Maroons dropped a three-spot on the Cardinals in the top of the first then added two more runs their next time up to jump ahead 5-0. However, the home team responded with a loud bottom half of the second, tying the score at 5-5. Through four innings, the Maroons held a 7-6 advantage.

In the top of the fifth, UChicago began to pull away. Davis singled to lead things off. Senior third baseman Tim Sonnefeldt bunted him into scoring position, bringing up Bohn who smacked an RBI single. After an error on the home team and a pop out, the Maroons had runners at first and second with two out and Connor Hickey up. The freshman outfielder singled, bringing home Bohn and putting runners at the corners. Then UChicago delivered another piece of clutch two-out hitting, this time courtesy of Toomey, who gave the Maroons a 10-4 lead.

The visitors added four more runs, with two in the seventh and then two in the ninth, to capture the 14-6 win over the Cardinals.

After senior pitcher Lucas Friss (3 IP, 5 R, 3 H, 2 BB, 2 K) was chased by North Central in a short outing, UChicago relied on their aforementioned relief pitching, which responded in a big way. Freshman Joe Liberman (3-2 record) earned the win, turning in four innings of four-hit, two-strikeout, one-run ball. UChicago then turned the game over to sophomore Chase Packard (1 IP, 1 H, 1 K) and freshman Alex McGimpsey (1 IP, 1 H, 1 K) who both turned in scoreless frames.

NEXT GAME:

• Wednesday, May 4 – UChicago vs. Dominican University (Schaumburg, Ill.), 7 PM