SAUGET, Ill. -- The North Park baseball team dropped a game on Friday and Saturday afternoon before winning the getaway game. NPU lost to Lawrence and Heidelberg before bouncing back with a Saturday night win over Concordia (IL).
Game 1 - Lawrence 7, North Park 4
The first two innings of the game showcased a pitcher's duel between starters Kevin Ayeski and Lawrence's Cam Ruth.
The first run of the game came in off of a solo homerun from Lawrence's Hartlaub in the bottom of the third. Then, an error in right field led to a man on third with one out. Lawrence capitalized on this with a sac fly to take a 2-0 lead over the Vikings.
North Park answers back in the fifth inning with a leadoff single up the middle and then a stolen base for Joe Perona. Carolos Martinez draws a walk and together they perform a double steal to give the Vikings men on 2nd and 3rd with no outs. Freshmen Rylan Li draws another walk to load the bases. Reece Araki shoots a sac fly out to center to score Perona. Alex DiVito drives n Martinez with an RBI single to right field to tie the game at 2-2.
Lawrence answers back quickly in the 6th after a single, walk, and wild pitch put men on 2nd and 3rd with no outs. A single up the middle from Freeman knocks in a run. Ethan Condit comes in to relieve Ayeski with men on 1st and 3rd and no outs. Lawrence scratches two more runs off of a sac bunt and sac fly to score two more runs and take a 5-to-2 lead. Condit strikes out the next two batters to end the inning.
Arakaki and DiVito both single up the middle to start the 7th. The duo both advance on a wild pitch to give the Vikings 2nd and 3rd with one out. Nathan Sommerfeld knocks a ball into left center for a 2 RBI single to cut the deficit to one run.
Perona led off the 8th with a single and picks up another stolen base on the way to second. He is advanced to give North Park a man on third, no outs. The Vikings come up short, though, still trailing by one.
Lawrence starts the inning with a walk who scores after a passed ball and an infield single. Griffin Self comes into the game on the mound. Self able to work out of the jam after a single and another Lawrence run scores to make the game 7-4.
The Vikings worked to a basses loaded no outs situation after DiVito and Swanson single and Sommerfeld walks. The Vikings come up short with no action after loading the bases and drop the game with a final score of Lawrence 7, Vikings 4.
Game 2 - Heidelberg 6, North Park 2
The Vikings got their day started with a leadoff hit by pitch from Reece Arakaki. Ethan Raspolich subs into the game in place of Arakaki before Alex DiVito stays hot with a single up the middle. A double steal gives North Park a 2nd and 3rd with one out. The Vikings were unable to capitalize and go to the bottom of the first 0-0.
Senior Bobby Bartlett works quickly, sitting down the first three batters of the game. The first run of the game comes in from of a 2 out Heidelberg solo shot in the 3rd inning.
The Vikings respond in the 5th inning with a 2 out Garrett Bragg walk followed by a Raspolich double to give North Park 1st and 3rd. DiVito draws a walk to load the bases and Justin Swanson picks up the hit by pitch RBI. Nathan Sommerfeld draws another walk and scores Raspolich to give the Vikings a 2-1 lead.
Bartlett starts the 7th inning off with a strikeout followed up by a hit by pitch and a double. The Vikings bring in 3rd basemen Carlos Martinez to pitch. Martinez gets himself out of the jam with a 1-3-6 double play.
Heidelberg threatens again in the bottom of the 8th when a hit by pitch and a double gives them 2nd and 3rd no outs. A ground ball to second scores the first run. Justin Swanson knocks a line drive out of the air and makes the bare-handed catch to give the Vikings two outs and a man on second. An intentional walk followed by a walk brings Jackson Nuese in to pitch for North Park. A walk, single, and error give Heidelberg the 6-2 lead to finish out the game.
Game 3 - North Park 6, Concordia (IL) 4
Junior Brandon Leidolph takes the mound for the Vikings, starting his day with two strikeouts and a clean frame.
North Park's bats give Leidolph an early lead starting with a Joe Perona single and stolen base. Justin Swanson advances Perona to third and single to right field. Swanson is picked off at first, but Nathan Sommerfeld picks up him up with an RBI single up the middle. Bartlett follows him up with another single up the middle to give the Vikings 1st and 2nd with two outs. Gio Lucchetto picks up an RBI Single before Martinez and Bragg draw walks scoring Bartlett.
North Park scratches two more runs in the 5th starting with a Sommerfeld hit by pitch. A Bartlett bunt moves Sommerfeld to second base. Luchhetto and Martinez both rope back-to-back RBI doubles to left. The Vikings take a 5-0 lead into the 6th.
Leidolph continues his dominance, picking up two more strikeouts in the top of the 6th.
Justin Swanson gets the Vikings going in the bottom of the 6th after reaching on error and stealing second. Sommerfeld singles to second followed by a Bartlett single to right to score Swanson to give the Vikings a 6-0 lead.
Leidolph goes three up three down to complete his 7-inning day.
Sam Jackson in to pitch in the eight and picks up two strikeouts en route to a clean 8th. Jackson is back out in the 9th, finding himself in a one out bases load jam. Zach Price comes for the Vikings on the mound and walk scores the Panthers first run of the game. A strikeout gives the Vikings two outs and base loaded. A dropped fly scores three more runs to make the game 6-4. Price slams the door with another strikeout to give the Vikings their first win on the weekend.
What's Next?
North Park (2-3) has an exhibition game with Division I opponent University of Illinois-Chicago this coming Tuesday, Feb. 27, at 3:00 PM. The game will be played at UIC's Curtis Granderson Stadium.
