SAUGET, Ill. – The North Park baseball team started their weekend off with an extra innings loss to the No. 25-ranked Webster University Gorloks, 3-2, before getting blanked by UW-Oshkosh, 3-0, later on Saturday afternoon.
Game 1 - Webster 3, North Park 2 (10 Inn.)
There was an absolute pitcher's duel between North Park's senior left hander Bobby Bartlett and Webster's Corcoran, neither side allowing a run until the sixth inning.
Sophomore infielder Carlos Martinez started the Vikings' offense up in the 6th inning with a single through the right field. After a pitching change, junior catcher Gio Lucchetto got Martinez to third with another single to right. Lucchetto created panic on the mound and drew an error from a pickoff attempt, which scored Martinez to put North Park up 1-0.
Webster answered back swiftly after an infield single put a man on, a sac bunt moved him over, and a single through the middle tied the game at 1-1 going into the 7th.
North Park scratched another run across in the 7th inning after sophomore outfielder Joe Perona's walk, junior outfielder Alex DiVito's single through the middle, and senior second baseman Justin Swanson drew a walk to load the bases. Martinez chopped a ball back to the pitcher, forcing a throwing error at the plate to give the Vikings a 2-1 lead.
Webster didn't stay quiet for long, though, tying the game up with a walk and back-to-back singles in the bottom of the 7th.
Sophomore right hander Ethan Condit came in to pitch in the bottom of the 8th, tossing two clean frames to bring the game to the 10th.
In extras, the Gorloks started the inning with an infield single before a stolen base and a ground ball advanced the runner to third. Webster ultimately knocked in the winning run with a line drive into center field, walking off with a final score of 3-2.
- Bobby Bartlett pitches 7 innings of 2 run baseball while surrendering 9 hits, striking out 3 and walking 1.
- Ethan Condit throws 2.2 innings of 3-hit ball, surrendering 1 run and striking out 2
- Joe Perona goes 3-for-3 at the plate with 2 walks
- Justin Swanson picks up 3 walks
Game 2 - UW-Oshkosh 3, North Park 0
North Park sophomore right hander Kevin Ayeski took the mound for the Vikings, surrendering 2 runs in the first inning. The Titans put up another run in the third inning after an error to take a 3-0 lead over the Vikings.
The Vikings' bats were silent through the first 7 innings besides two singles from Swanson. Meanwhile, Ayeski found his groove and finished the 6th inning without surrendering another run.
Sophomore right hander Jackson Nuese came in for relief for the Vikings, retiring his first three batters faced.
For the NPU offense, senior infielder Ethan Raspolich knocked the third and final hit for the Vikings with a single through the middle in the top of the 8th.
Nuese was able to hold the Titans to just those three runs through the bottom of the 8th, but a lack of production out of the offense ended the game 3-0 in favor of Oshkosh.
North Park (2-5) will play Saturday's opposition in reverse order on Sunday, March 3. The Vikings face the Titans at 11:00 AM before ending their trip at GCS Ballpark against host Webster at 2:00 PM.
