EUREKA, Ill. -- 22 different Vikings contributed to a 19-6 rout of Eureka on Tuesday afternoon. North Park tallied 15 hits in the effort, scoring one or more runs in all but two innings.
Following a scoreless first inning, the Vikings put runners on base when Bobby Bartlett walked and Garrett Bragg singled. Next, in a two-strike count, Alex DiVito unloaded to right field for his first home run of the season, putting North Park up by three runs early.
The Vikings would score 10 more runs through the next four innings. The run-scoring drives came from Jim Zay's double in the third inning, plating Rylan Kawakami, Justin Swanson's fourth homer of the season - a two-run shot to right-center, Kawakami's triple to score Nathan Sommerfeld, and Bartlett's sac fly to bring home Kawakami. Three runs were driven in during the fifth inning when Swanson laced a single into right field that was misplayed, allowing Arakaki, Carlos Martinez, and, ultimately, Swanson to score on a three-base error.
DiVito continued to knock home base runners with RBI singles in the sixth and eighth innings while a handful of errors and wild pitches by the Red Devils allowed the Vikings to run away with a 19-6 win.
Quick Hits:
- DiVito goes 4-for-5 with 5 RBI and a homer
- Double and a triple for Kawakami
- Swanson sends his fourth long shot of the season
- Multi-hit days for Swanson (2-for-3, 3 RBI), Kawakami (2-for-4, 2B, 3B), Bragg (2-for-5) in addition to DiVito's big day
- On the mound, Brandon Leidolph punched out four in three innings of work and Ethan Condit picked up the win (2 IP, 1H, 0 R, 2 K's)
- Wyatt Peters and Mason Carlisle tossed scoreless innings of relief
What's Next?
North Park (6-13) opens up College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) play this coming Saturday, April 1, with a home doubleheader against Illinois Wesleyan. First pitch at Holmgren is set for 1:00 PM CST.
