WINTER HAVEN, Fla. -- Brendan Russ took the mound for North Park on Monday as the Vikings faced off with the TCNJ Lions, allowing 2 runs over 7 solid innings while picking up 9 Ks. After struggling in his first two starts, Russ has now managed at least 7 innings with 3 or less earned runs in his last two, combining for a 16:5 K/BB ratio in that span. With today's 10-3 Vikings victory, Russ moves to 2-1 on the season—good for the team lead in wins.

The Vikings offense ensured early on that Russ would be afforded some comfort as he worked through the Lions' lineup. Justin Swanson put the Vikings on the board first with a single that drove in Reece Arakaki and advanced Ranko Stevanovic into scoring position. Two batters later, Jim Zay came through with a 2-out base hit that scored both runners on base, catapulting North Park to a quick 3-0 lead in the 1st inning.

The bats stayed rolling throughout the day as North Park put up runs in 5 of the remaining 8 innings, totaling 10 runs on 12 hits overall. Zay and Stevanovic built off their hot starts by both recording 4 RBIs on 3 hits. Swanson joined them with 3 hits of his own, including 2 doubles, which caps off the Vikings' multi-hit performances. Along with the execution at the plate, North Park went without an error, marking a stellar performance on both sides of the ball. The team moves to 4-7 on the season with the win.

The southeast road trip continues for the Vikings who play three more games this week across Thursday, Friday, and Saturday in Auburndale, Florida. Worcester State is next on the menu, who the Vikings take on at 4:00 P.M. CST on March 17th.