Roseville, Minn. – The Polars completed their series against North Central on Monday, splitting the doubleheader to secure a series victory. After finishing game one with a win earlier in the day, Crown dropped the finale 5–2.
Game one began in Maple Grove at North Central's home field before being suspended due to weather and resumed Monday in Roseville. The Polars got on the board early in the second inning, as a double from Blayke Reyburn scored Keegan Eastman and Easton McKenzie. Later in the inning, Bryan Gerbers came to the plate with the bases loaded and launched a grand slam to give Crown a 6–0 lead.
The offense stayed hot in the third inning, as Eastman and Tristan Wekseth hit back-to-back home runs to extend the lead to 9–2. Four batters later, Gerbers struck again, blasting his second home run of the game and Crown's third of the inning to make it 12–2.
Crown added another run in the fifth on an RBI single from McKenzie. In the sixth, Zach Adams drove in a run with a single, Gerbers drew a bases-loaded walk, and TJ Reilly cleared the bases with a three-RBI double to push the lead to 18–4.
When play resumed Monday, the Polars picked up right where they left off. Eastman delivered a bases-clearing double, and Brayden Anderson followed with a sacrifice fly to extend the lead to 23–4. McKenzie added an RBI single in the seventh, while North Central scored once in the bottom half, as Crown secured a 23–5 win.
Aidan Garza went 3-for-3 and scored a run. Gerbers finished 2-for-5 and set a team single-game RBI record with eight on his two home runs. McKenzie went 3-for-3 with five RBIs and three runs scored, while Reyburn reached base four times, going 2-for-4 with two walks, two RBIs, and three runs.
Blake Lowrey earned the start, pitching five innings and allowing three runs while striking out two. Escalante closed out the game with two strong innings, striking out three and allowing just one hit.
In game two, the Polars fell 5–2, playing their sixth game in the last seven days. Crown struggled offensively early and fell behind 3–0 in the first inning. North Central added two more in the fourth to extend the lead to 5–0.
Matt Yarish and Sam Sigurdson combined for three scoreless innings in relief to keep the Polars within reach. Crown broke through in the sixth with a sacrifice fly from Eastman and an RBI single by Carson Sanders, but the comeback fell short.
The Polars return home for their final two conference series of the season. They host Bethany Lutheran for a doubleheader Thursday before finishing the series Friday. The University of Wisconsin–Superior visits the following weekend in two crucial series for Crown's playoff hopes.
