PICTURED ABOVE: Peter Moran allowed two runs over seven innings with eight strikeouts in Saturday's 10-6 win over North Central.

Carol Stream, Ill. - The Thunder baseball team split a doubleheader against CCIW foe North Central on Saturday afternoon. North Central earned a 10-0 run-rule victory in Saturday's first game before Wheaton won the nightcap 10-6. With the split, North Central earned a series victory and improved to 14-11 overall and 8-4 in CCIW play. Wheaton is now 11-17 overall and 6-6 in the conference. Wheaton will step out of conference on Tuesday for a 6 PM game against Dominican University.

North Central scored 10 runs on nine hits with no errors in the opener on Saturday and followed with six runs on 10 hits with three errors in the nightcap. Wheaton was blanked on five hits with two errors before exploding for 10 runs on 16 hits with two errors.

The Cardinals took an early lead with a run in the top of the first inning in the second game but Wheaton rallied in the home half to tie the game on a Kyle Mellinger sacrifice fly. Wheaton then took its first lead of the series in the bottom of the third inning when Mellinger doubled to left-center, scoring Matt Schappell from first base.

After the Cardinals tied the game in the top of the fourth inning, the Thunder took the lead for good on a two-run, two-out double to right field by Andrew Laucella, giving the hosts a 4-2 lead. Wheaton then blew the game open with a six-run seventh inning. Mellinger started the rally with his second double of the game and came around to score on Matt Krause's RBI single. Two batters later, JD Carpenter's double to left field plated two more runs. Tyler Sigler followed with an RBI single. After Carpenter (PICTURED RIGHT) scored on an errant pickoff throw allowing Sigler to move to second base, Sigler scored from second when Schappell reached on an error.

North Central would plate a pair of runs in the top of the eighth and the top of the ninth inning to close the final margin to 10-6. Peter Moran earned the win on the mound for the Thunder, throwing seven innings and allowing just two earned runs with eight strikeouts. Matt Krause was three-for-five at the plate with two runs scored and an RBI, Kyle Mellinger drove in two runs on a pair of doubles, and Matt Schappell and Johnny Peltz each had two hits.

North Central once again took advantage of the big inning in Saturday's first game, breaking open a scoreless tie with a six-run fourth inning. The Cardinals continued their onslaught in the top of the fifth inning with a one-out grand slam to take a 10-0 lead. Wheaton looked to get on the board after a leadoff double by John McKenna in the bottom of the fifth inning but the Thunder would strand the bases loaded without a run.