THE LEAD

MINNETONKA, Minn. -- The Sabercats will have to wait until another day to put a win on the schedule, as they took a 0-22 loss to North Central before trailing 11-1 in a weather-suspended second game.

The Rams' pitching staff has limited the Sabercats to just five hits in the series while the Rams have amassed 32.

THE OVERVIEW

• Results: MBU 0-22 NCU, MBU 1-11 NCU (In progress: Top 6th)
• Venue: Veterans Memorial Field
• Location: Minnetonka, Minn.
• Records: MBU (0-1), NCU (1-7)

THE STORY

The Sabercats couldn't figure out Michael Barrientos, who was in total control on the mound for NCU in game one. Barrientos fanned 14 of the 25 batters he faced, striking out the side in the first and recording nine K's through the first four frames.

Jonah Bailey and Alex Causey were the only Sabercat who could produce anything, as Bailey singled in each of his first two collegiate at-bats. 

On the flipside, NCU showed that their bats were in rhythm, as this was already their eighth game of the season. The Rams scored six runs off five hits in the bottom of the first, and they went on to plate nine runs in the third inning thanks (in part) to a three-run shot from Taylor Justice.

Six more runs in the bottom of the fifth were the salt in the wound for Maranatha, as the Rams finished the first game making the most of 22 hits and five MBU errors.

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While the first game was marked with offensive explosions from the Rams, the hosts have been more steady in the second game, scoring between 2-4 runs in the opening four innings. So far, the Rams have notched 11 hits in game two, and their rookie pitcher, Caiden Gelowicz, has tossed 10 strikeouts while allowing just a couple of hits.

The Sabercats' first run of the season came in the top of the fifth when Ryan Hempel drove in Clint Matheis. But so far, that's the only offensive offering the Sabercats have come up with, as they are still finding their groove in their first games of the season.

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MBU Batting Order (Game 1) - Hempel (P), Smith (LF), Causey (SS), Paruch (3B), Hecker (CF), Cummins (1B), Matheis (2B), Bailey (C), Westerlund (RF)

MBU Batting Order (Game 2) - Hempel (2B), Smith (RF), Causey (P), Paruch (3B), Hecker (CF), Bailey (C), Cummins (1B), Matheis (SS), Westerlund (LF)

THE OPPONENTS

• The Rams are members of the NCCAA and the NCAA DIII
• NCU competes in the UMAC and has yet to begin conference play
• North Central began their games March 4 with a five-game week at the Tucson (Ariz.) Invitational

THE OUTLOOK

The Sabercats will stay put to conclude the series today. The teams will complete the second game of the four-game series before finishing the final two games.