PICTURED: Alec Strachota
North Park senior Jason Meger didn't waste much time taking care of the opposition in the final game of the 2016 NPU Invite Saturday.
The hard-throwing right-hander mixed his pitches and hit his spots while keeping a low pitch count to earn his second victory in a 7-3 Vikings' win over Aurora.
Meger tossed a complete game, striking out five batters and gave up only one extra base hit to improve his record to 2-2 on the year.
Despite a few errors on the defense (4), NP more than made up for things at the plate as they shelled out 10 hits and overcame a one run deficit midway through the contest.
After seizing a 2-1 lead early on an RBI single from Hunter Landry and a Caleb Layden sacrifice fly in the second inning, Aurora struck for two runs in the fourth inning to move ahead 3-2. It didn't last though as NP responded with a three-run bottom half of the fourth to take the lead for good. A Layden RBI single tied the game and Nate Simons laced a two-run single down the right field line, allowing both Alec Strachota (walk) and Landry (walk) to score. Simons added another two-RBI single in the seventh to cap the scoring. In all, Simons finished with four RBI and two hits while Strachota went a perfect 3 for 3 at the plate with two runs scored.
North Park (5-10) returns to action Saturday when it opens College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin play with a three-game set against Carthage College. The Vikings host the Red Men for a 12 p.m. doubleheader.
