MILLINGTON, Tenn. – North Park baseball got into the win column the hard way on Saturday, battling the elements for a 10-5 win against Ripon. In the weekend trip to Tennessee before the Vikings head to Florida, NPU lost to Westfield State on Friday, 3-1, and Belhaven on Sunday, 6-2.
Senior left hander Bobby Bartlett gave up a run in the first inning before locking down the rest of his outing. Bartlett allowed just three hits while punching out seven in six innings, looking to the Viking bats to secure the win.
The offense put North Park up early with three runs in the first and second innings before run-scoring innings in the third and fourth. In the first inning, the Red Hawks errantly threw the ball around the infield, playing Reece Arakaki and Carlos Martinez. Zach Lingk, who ended up with a standout day at the plate, drove a two-out to plate Rylan Kawakami, putting the Vikings up 3-1 after one inning.
Carlos Martinez got the second inning going with a triple to center, coming home on an RBI single by Arakaki. Next, Joe Perona cracked a double to left field to bring in Kawakami, who reached on an infield error, and Arakaki.
The Vikings further extended their lead when Lingk unloaded for his first round tripper of the season in the third and Perona secured an RBI single in the fourth, plating Justin Swanson.
Ripon tried to claw their way back in the ninth with an RBI double by Stampfl and an RBI groundout by Hickman. However, the Red Hawk comeback came up short in the Vikings' first win of the season.
Quick Hits:
- Career day for Lingk, who was 3-for-4 with 3 RBI and a homer
- Bartlett with the first Viking win – 7 K's, 3 H, 1 ER across 6 IP
- Doubles for Swanson and Perona, Martinez adds a triple and stolen base
- Perona goes 2-for-4 with 3 RBI
- Vikings draw nine walks, score 10 runs
What's Next?
North Park (1-10) will head to Florida for four games in the sunshine state, starting with Greenville on Tuesday, March 14. First pitch at Northeast Regional Park in Davenport will be 1:30 PM ET.
