CHICAGO, Ill. – North Park Baseball walked off on Wheaton under the Holmgren lights on Tuesday night, picking up the victory 7-6.
Both starters on the hill, Wheaton's JD Van Hook and North Park's Bobby Bartlett allowed just one hit through the first two innings – a single by Wheaton's Joe Klein in the first. However, the bats would wake up on both sides in the third.
Wheaton's Matt Nelson led off with a homer to center before Bartlett induced weak contact three times to get out of the inning with only the solo shot.
In NPU's half of the inning, freshman catcher Reyn Matsuzaki clubbed his first home run of the season into the right field grandstands to tie the game, 1-1.
Next, senior third baseman Ethan Raspolich drew a four-pitch walk and sophomore right fielder Joe Perona pieced an oppo double to left, putting the duo in scoring position.
Following the trend of big swings, junior center fielder Alex DiVito launched a three-run homer into right-center to put North Park out front, 4-1.
After a three-up-three-down inning for Bartlett, the Vikings added another run in the bottom of the fourth. Matsuzaki singled through the right side and Perona cracked a one-hopper for an infield single to put runners on first and second. Next, DiVito came through clutch again, ripping a two-out oppo single to left to score Matsuzaki.
Bartlett still cruised in the fifth and sixth, spinning perfect innings, before Wheaton made things interesting in the seventh.
First baseman Jacob Snyder led off the inning with a home run before a hit-by-pitch and RBI double by shortstop Noah Yi narrowed the NPU lead to two runs, 5-3.
The Vikings added an insurance run in their half of the seventh when senior first baseman drove a sac fly to center, scoring DiVito who previously reached on a walk.
Go-to right hander Ethan Condit relieved Bartlett in the top of the eighth and fell victim to a home run by Wheaton right fielder Joe Klein, his sixth of the season. Condit only allowed a single the rest of that inning, getting three outs through ground balls.
However, after a scoreless bottom of the eighth for North Park, Wheaton played their best inning of the game in their final trip to the plate. The Thunder utilized four hits, all singles, to produce two runs and tie things up, 6-6.
North Park played small ball to put this one away. Senior second baseman Justin Swanson hit a hanging breaking ball back up the middle for the first knock of the inning before junior left fielder Nate Sommerfeld dropped down a sac bunt to move Swanson up. Next, after falling behind to Bragg in a 3-0 count, Wheaton opted to give him the fourth ball for free, intentionally walking him. Now with two outs, junior shortstop Reece Arakaki lobbed single into right-center, keeping the Vikings atop the CCIW standings with a walkoff knock.
- Two-hit days for Perona, DiVito, Swanson, and Matsuzaki
- DiVito and Matsuzaki leave the yard as DiVito drives in four Vikings
- Bartlett works seven innings, scatters five hits, punches out four
- Wheaton's Klein was 3-for-5 with a homer
- The Thunder's Jacob Snyder was perfect at the plate; 3-for-3 with a HR, 2B
North Park (23-10, 11-3 CCIW) remains tied in the top of the conference standings with Illinois Wesleyan and Millikin. The Vikings look to a three-game series with the Carroll Pioneers this Saturday and Sunday. Saturday's games are a doubleheader at Holmgren for Senior Day, with first pitch for game one set for 1pm.
