GAME STATS PICTURED ABOVE: Josh Kimmel (LEFT) and Justin Swider (RIGHT) each went 2-for-4 on Friday.

Carol Stream, Ill. - The Wheaton baseball team dropped the first game of a key three-game CCIW series with North Central on Friday night with a 6-1 loss to the Cardinals at Lee Pfund Stadium. Wheaton falls to 18-15 on the season and 8-8 in the CCIW. The Cardinals improve to 20-10 overall and 10-6 in conference play.

North Central earned the 6-1 victory as the Cardinals plated six runs, on 10 hits and one error and Wheaton tallied one run, on seven hits, with four errors. Senior Evan Rahn (5-4) started on the mound for the Thunder, taking the loss. He allowed six runs (three earned), on nine hits with four strikeouts and one walk in seven innings pitched. Freshman Casey Balikian threw two scoreless innings of relief, allowing one hit and striking out four.
In the top of the second inning North Central recorded a triple, a single, an error and a wild pitch to take a 1-0 lead before an out had been recorded. After an RBI groundout, a walk and a throwing error the Cardinals had scored two more runs, and they brought home another on a single to end the inning with a 4-0 lead.

North Central scored an unearned run in the top of the third inning on an RBI groundout to make it 5-0. An RBI single by Joe Paparone with two outs in the top of the fourth scored Nick DeWolf to make the score 6-0.
Wheaton recorded its only run of the game in the bottom of the eighth inning. Senior Justin Swider's two-out double brought home freshman Johnny Peltz to cut North Central's lead to 6-1.

Cardinals starting pitcher Ben Krusen (5-2) retired the side in order in the bottom of the ninth inning to finish off the complete-game win. Krusen allowed one run on seven hits with 12 strikeouts and one walk to give North Central its sixth straight win.

The series will conclude Saturday with a doubleheader at Zimmerman Stadium in Naperville, slated for begin at noon.