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North Park University Athletics

Teamatconf2
8
Winner Elmhurst ELMHURST 10-21
7
North Park NPU 19-20
Winner
Elmhurst ELMHURST
10-21
8
Final
7
North Park NPU
19-20
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Elmhurst ELMHURST 5 1 0 0 0 0 2 8 8 1
North Park NPU 3 2 0 0 0 2 0 7 12 1

W: Hicks, Jena (3-5) L: Malicki, Alyssa (9-13)

Game Recap: Softball | | Contact: Scot Gladstone, Sports Information GA, swgladstone@northpark.edu

Homers Doom Vikings in 8-7 Heartbreaker

Aragon’s long ball not enough to overcome three from Elmhurst

Bloomington, Ill. – The North Park softball team finished their season in devastating fashion Saturday, falling by a score of 8-7 to the Elmhurst Bluejays in the loser's bracket of the CCIW softball tournament. The Vikings had a one run lead heading into the seventh inning, but a Bluejay hit just crept over the wall for a two-run homer that ended up dooming the Vikings.

Elmhurst came out firing putting up five runs on two home runs in the top of the first, but the Vikings answered in earnest with three runs of their own in the bottom of the inning. The NPU scoring started when Alyssa Malicki double into deep right-center, scoring Caitlyn Webb. A few batters later, Brigid Early knocked in Malicki and Racheal Feazelle with a single into left. Elmhurst added a sac-fly in the second, but again NPU was able to answer, this time with a two-run blast by Alyssa Aragon that scored Webb. That homer tied Aragon for the third most homers in NPU single season history with her sixth of the year and made the score 6-5 Bluejays.

The pitchers for both sides gained control, allowing no more runs until the bottom of the sixth when the Vikings kicked off a much-needed two-run rally. Nicole Donnawell got it started with a single to left, followed by a bunt single from Ellie Manderfeld. Webb added to her solid day soon after, knocking home Donnawell on a base hit to center, and then Aragon gave the Vikings the lead on a ground out to second that drove home Manderfeld.

Disaster struck for NPU in the seventh when Elmhurst was down to their last out with one runner aboard before their cleanup batter just barely put the ball over the left field fence to give the Bluejays the lead on the two-run shot. North Park were not able to find the run they needed in the bottom of the inning, and their season officially ended with a 8-7 heartbreaking loss.

Quick Hits:

  • Webb went 3-for-4, two runs scored, and one RBI in her final game as a Viking.
  • Manderfeld finishes her career with 171 hits and 124 runs scored, both stats have her at the top of the NPU all-time record book.
  • Malicki's 10 strikeouts break the record for most strikeouts in an NPU single season with 106, breaking Kate Seebacher's record of 104 in 2010.
  • The 2021 NPU softball team also broke the record for most doubles by a Viking softball team in a single season with 54, breaking the 2012 team's record of 50.
  • Aragon finished her sophomore campaign with the CCIW lead in doubles with 13, and Early finished her season as one of only two players with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage.

What's Next?

The Vikings finish the year with a record of 19-20 and graduate four players (Manderfeld, Webb, Erin Penn, and Jessie Fix). NPU will look to build upon their first ever trip to the CCIW tournament when they get back to play in the spring of 2022.

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