CHICAGO, Ill. – Seven extra-base hits, including four big flies, for the Carthage Firebirds proved to be enough on Saturday, as North Park Baseball lost its first CCIW series with a 6-5 loss on Saturday afternoon.
With the wind at their backs, blowing straight into the bleachers along the center field wall to the right field foul pole at the Holmgren Athletic Complex, the Firebirds were ready to hit. Junior infielder Max Cairo led the inning off with a single and stole second before Viking starter, sophomore Carlos Martinez, got the first out of the inning via strikeout. However, the Firebirds' PJ Moser and Matt Felber would connect on back-to-back homers, taking an early 3-0 lead.
North Park chipped away in the second when senior first baseman Garrett Bragg doubled to right-center field and moved up to third on Martinez' single into left. The duo executed a double steal – Martinez drawing the throw at second while Bragg swiped home.
Carthage neutralized that second-inning run in the top of the third on a solo homer by Cairo but North Park got the run back in their next trip to the plate. DiVito doubled to left field before advancing to third on a failed pickoff attempt. Senior second baseman Justin Swanson knocked him home on a grounder through the left side, slimming the lead to 4-2.
Carthage grew its lead to 5-2 in the fourth on Evan Devine's RBI double and added another in the seventh on Kody Krekling's solo homer to right.
In their last hoorah of the game, North Park's bench and bottom of the order came through clutch in the seventh. Martinez made his way to second base after an infield error before advancing to third on a balk. Next, sophomore Rylan Kawakami executed situational hitting perfectly, driving a two-strike, pinch hit single down the right field line, bringing in Martinez. Following a pitching change, senior third baseman Ethan Raspolich cracked one of his biggest hits of the season with a double down the right-field line, putting a pair of runners in scoring position.
An RBI groundout by sophomore outfielder Joe Perona and a sac fly by DiVito put the Vikings within one run, 6-5.
However, the next four half-innings were all scoreless, as Carthage became the first squad to take a series from North Park with a 6-5 win.
- Moser 3-for-5 with a HR, 2B, 3 RBI
- Win for Carthage's Ryan Scanlon on the mound: 6 IP, 7H, 2 ER 3K
- Sophomore Kevin Ayeski with solid relief for NPU: 5 IP, 2H, 1 ER, 2 K
- Doubles for DiVito, Bragg, and Raspolich
- DiVito a perfect 3-for-3, bringing his season batting average over .400
North Park (21-10, 10-3) remains in the top spot of the CCIW race as every team in the league is full steam ahead for the rest of April. The Vikings have three home games in a row, beginning with Dominican University on Monday, April 22. First pitch is set for 3:00 PM.
