PICTURED: Tyler Woolbright (photo by Scott Smith)

North Park used a combination of small ball and steady, solid pitching to snap its three-game losing streak with an 8-4, 8-inning victory over the host University of Chicago Wednesday afternoon in Hyde Park.

The game was shortened due to poor field conditions and a light rain, but NP made quick work the Maroons as it connected for 14 hits and scored at least a run in six of the eight innings.

Junior pitcher Jimmy Park earned his first win on the mound as he went 7 1/3 innings. He yielded only two extra base hits while striking out four batters and walking three.  

North Park staked an early 2-0 lead when Ray Cekus and Tyler Woolbright connected for run-scoring singles in the first inning. UChicago trimmed the deficit in half with a run in the bottom half, but NP came up with single runs in the second, third and fourth innings to move ahead 5-1. After a Cullen Gilbertson RBI groundout, Cam Adams came up with the only Vikings' extra base hit when he laced an RBI double to left-center field. Woolbright then added another run-scoring single in the fourth and Anthony Bragg gave the visitors a 6-1 advantage in the sixth on an RBI single up the middle. The Maroons plated another run in the seventh, but again North Park took advantage of some quick offense in the eighth. Gilbertson scored on a wild pitch and Woolbright drove in his third run of the game with his third run-scoring single.

Woolbright finished a near perfect 4 for 5 at the plate while Cekus added a 3 for 4 day with three runs scored and an RBI. Caleb Layden, Bragg and David Scholz all connected for two hits. Max Larsen finished with two hits, including a solo home run eighth, for UChicago.

North Park (13-21) resumes CCIW play this Friday night when it hosts Wheaton College for Game 1 of a three-game series at 6:00 p.m.