CHICAGO, Ill. -- The North Park baseball team honored the careers of eleven seniors on Saturday afternoon before facing off with the Carthage Firebirds for a CCIW double-header. After earning the win in both of today's matchups, North Park moves to 5-6 in conference play which puts them just .5 games back of Illinois Wesleyan for the #6 and final seed of the oncoming CCIW Tournament.
Game 1
On the mound as NPU's Game 1 starter, Bobby Bartlett produced yet another gem of a performance to mark his second 8.0+ IP, 0 ER effort in his last three games. The senior out of West Chicago set a new season-high of 7 K with just 2 BB, lowering his season ERA to 3.21.
Although Bartlett did concede a pair of unearned runs, the North Park bats had his back this time around to ensure he earned the win on his Senior Day. Down 0-1 in the bottom of the 4th, Nate Sommerfeld connected for his third HR of the season—a solo shot to right-center—to tie the ballgame. Later in the inning, a base hit by Alex DiVito scored Graham Porter to earn NPU the 2-1 lead.
Carthage tied the score at 2-2 in the top of the 8th, putting Bartlett's status as the winning pitcher up in the air, but the Vikings responded with a late four-run rally to reach the final tally of 6-2. With the bases loaded, DiVito again came through with a clutch base hit to score Porter and Zach Lingk, giving the Vikings a two-run cushion. Jim Zay drove NPU's next run in with a bunt that scored Garrett Bragg, and Reece Arakaki followed that up with a base hit to plate DiVito.
Brett Brueske entered in relief of Bartlett to close out the game in the 9th, generating three quick groundouts to secure the win in Game 1. Graham Porter, Garrett Bragg, and Alex Divito all finished with multi-hit efforts, and DiVito's 3 RBI led the team.
Game 2
After winning Game 1, the Vikings ran into some early trouble in the second leg of the doubleheader. SP Tyler Banks only made it through 2.0 IP, perhaps to stay available for tomorrow's matchup with Carroll, leaving Sam Jackson to handle the bulk of the work in Game 2. The unorthodox circumstances resulted in a 0-4 Vikings deficit through the top of the 5th.
In the bottom half of the inning though, North Park's offense exploded for eight runs to double Carthage's score and take control of the game at 8-4. Three consecutive singles to start the inning by Reece Arakaki, Justin Swanson, and Bobby Bartlett loaded the bases for cleanup hitter Nate Sommerfeld, and the sophomore slugger responded with a bases-clearing triple to bring the Vikings within one run of Carthage. A sac fly by Carlos Martinez then brought Sommerfeld home to tie the game. The rest of NPU's four runs in the inning came via a combination of three bases-loaded walks and a steal of home on a passed ball to provide Jackson with four runs of insurance.
Jackson proceeded to produce three straight scoreless innings to give him a final line of 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 5 K, and 4 BB, along with the eventual win. However, NPU's offense had plenty left to give before the score went official. In the bottom of the 7th—the inning before Jackson's last frame—North Park plated another five runs. Reece Arakaki again started things off with a single and then scored on a base hit by Nate Sommerfeld. The Vikings' next two runs once more came by way of bases-loaded walks, setting up pinch-hitter Ryan Moritsugu at the plate. The senior answered with his first hit of the season—a 2-RBI double—to set the score at its final mark of 13-4.
S.J. Mousseau got the nod in the 9th to close out the game for NPU. He got the first out of the inning with a backwards K before Arakaki and Liam Murray combined for a 6-4-3 double-play to secure North Park's sweep.
What's Next?
The Vikings are back at Holmgren again tomorrow afternoon, facing off with the Carroll Pioneers at 1:00 P.M.
