CHICAGO, Ill. -- Two home runs and a five RBI day for senior shortstop Jake Reinhardt vaulted the North Park baseball team to an 11-4 win over Wheaton College on Friday evening.
Wheaton starting pitcher Jacob Garrity and North Park starter Ethan Sund kept each other's offenses quiet, as scoreless baseball ensued through three innings.
North Park would be first to score when catcher Ranko Stevanovic drew a walk to lead off the inning, left fielder Brandon Davis doubled to the right-center field gap to move Stevanovic to third, and second baseman Justin Swanson plated Stevanovic on an infield grounder.
Wheaton got one back in the fifth inning on a solo homer by Tyler Weiner, but the Vikings returned the favor in their next trip to the plate.
Center fielder Jared Cantu led the bottom of the fifth off with a walk, moved up on a passed ball, and advanced to third base on a sacrifice bunt by right fielder Logan Peters. Next, Reinhardt cracked a two-run homer over the left field wall to put North Park up, 3-1.
The Vikings continued to pile on in the sixth. With two outs, third baseman Jim Zay singled to right field before first baseman Bobby Bartlett brought him home on an RBI double to right-center field. Next, Cantu drove an RBI single up the right-field line and stole second base before Peters was hit by a pitch. This time, Reinhardt went the opposite way, striking the right field bleachers for his second homer of the game.
North Park added a run in the seventh inning on catcher Nick Cecchi's RBI triple to left-center field and two more in the eighth on Woolbright's two-run single up the middle.
Left hander Brett Brueske relieved Sund in the seventh inning as he scattered three hits for one earned run, securing his first save of the season, to give North Park the 11-4 win.
FINAL: North Park 11, Wheaton 4
Quick Hits:
- Reinhardt slugs two homers, drives in five runners
- Sund K's seven in his six-inning win
- Peters and Stevanovic tally two hits each
- Woolbright with a pair of late RBIs
- Brueske grabs first save in his three innings of work
What's Next?
North Park (12-13, 7-13 CCIW) makes the short drive to Carol Stream tomorrow, April 24, for a doubleheader against Wheaton. First pitch at Lee Pfund Stadium is set for 1 p.m.
