The PNC varsity baseball team defeated the PNC Alumni 7-1 Saturday afternoon in Westville. The Varsity moved their record to 4-0 in the series after winning 20-2 in 2008, 10-1 in 2007 and 4-3 in the inaugural game in 2006.

The Varsity jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning when sophomore Jeff Gaston reached on a single and junior Kasey Koster smashed a two-run homer to right-center field.

The Varsity expanded their lead to 6-0 in the second inning. Sophomore Shane Breitzke led off with a single and reached third on an error during a pick-off attempt. Senior Adam Kennedy drove him in with an RBI single. After junior R.J. Zambrano reached on a fielder's choice, junior Nate Hall smacked a run-scoring triple to make it 4-0. Gaston followed up with a two-run homer to left field to complete the big inning.

The Varsity scored their final run in the third inning. Sophomore Jeff Strbjak led off with a walk and advanced to third on singles by Breitzke and Kennedy. Junior John Bugajski knocked in Strbjak with a fielder's choice to make it 7-0.

The Alumni scored their lone run in the sixth inning. Dave Dickerson reached on a double and scored on a single by Shawn Nova. The Alumni eventually loaded the bases with two walks but were unable to capitalize.

The winning pitcher was senior Kevin Scott who retired all three batters he faced including one by strikeout. Ten different pitchers combined to strike out eight while allowing just three wa1ks. The losing pitcher was Casey Young who allowed five runs in the first two innings on seven hits while striking out two.

Overall, the Varsity collected 13 hits and three walks. Strbjak added a double, Koster added a second hit on a single and Kennedy reached a third time by a walk.

The Alumni picked up seven hits and three walks. Dickerson had two doubles while Nova had two singles. Former All-Conference and pro player player Steve Georgion added a double.

PNC Hall of Famer Larry Blake Sr. (inducted in inaugural HOF class in 2006) coached the Alumni and was assisted by fellow Hall of Famer Larry Blake Jr.(2009) and Chet Ebner.

The Purdue North Central baseball team will host their fifth annual Alumni Baseball Game at Hicks Field on the south side of campus on Saturday, October 3rd at 11am.

Last year the current Panthers moved their record to 4-0 with a 18-2 victory over the Alumni.

The event is usually tied to the Athletic Department Golf Outing which will take place on Thursday, September 10 th at Valparaiso Country Club in Valparaiso, IN. However, Saturday, September 12 th is the annual Popcorn Fest in Valparaiso and would conflict with the game.

Several former players are expected back to lead the Alumni, who once again are expected to be managed by former long-time skipper and PNC Hall of Famer, Larry Blake Sr.

The pre-game schedule has the current Panthers taking batting practice from 9 a.m. to 9:40 with the alumni following from 9:40 to 10:20. The varsity will take their pre-game infield from 10:30 to 10:40 and the alumni will follow from 10:40 to 10:50.

The current Panthers start practice on August 31 st and finished the 2009 season with a record of 31-24 overall and 21-9 in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference. They also qualified for the NAIA National Tournament by finishing 2nd of 11 teams in the CCAC.

The Panthers have now finished 31-24, 28-21, 28-22 and 32-20 over the past four years. The victory total is the most ever over a four year span for the PNC baseball program. The Panthers have also qualified for the post-season four straight years for the first time in program history, including two trips to the NAIA National Tournament.

A cookout will follow the game with food and beverages provided by the PNC baseball program.

Please RSVP for the Alumni game to Coach John Weber at 219-785-5273 or jweber@pnc.edu . Coach Weber can also be reached if you are interested in playing or being a sponsor in the golf outing.