Thanks to Mya Lorenz for the pictures
KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- North Park University Softball enjoyed another sweep on Thursday evening, picking up wins over the Carlow Celtics (1-7) and Washington & Jefferson Presidents (4-5). The Vikings short-gamed the Celtics, 8-0 in six innings, and hung on against the Presidents with a 7-6 win.
Game One Recap - Vikings 8, Celtics 0
The Vikings' first game of the day featured a pitching gem from junior Eden Baker, who tossed her second shutout of the season with six clean innings of work. Baker got out of jams multiple times, largely thanks to her season high six strikeouts while allowing only three hits, all singles.
For the NPU offense, the Blue & Gold struck for two runs in the first and fourth innings before a final four-spot in the sixth. Baker led off with an oppo triple to left field before a squeeze bunt from junior catcher Katie Patton brought her across the plate. Junior infielders Kayla Lorenz and Kathryn Keehn singled before sophomore designated player Bella Frohwirth pushed Lorenz across with an RBI single, putting NPU up 2-0 in the first.
Freshman left fielder Kaylie Pereira scored senior second baseman Maddy Tan with an RBI single and Baker's sac fly in the fourth scored Frohwirth, keeping NPU ahead 4-0 through four. A four-run sixth was capped by Keehn's walkoff single, as freshman Arianna Gutierrez scored the mercy rule run in the Vikings' 8-0 win.
Game Two Recap - Vikings 7, Presidents 6
North Park led game two off with a bang: Patton cracked her third triple of the season and Keehn drove the first NPU round tripper of the season with a two-out, two-run shot to left field.Â
In the circle, junior Maya Lafnear tossed a pair of scoreless innings, keeping NPU ahead 2-0 moving to the top of the third. The Vikings added one more run to the board in that top of the third when junior left fielder scored Lorenz with an RBI single to right-center.Â
The Presidents took advantage of some NPU infield errors and a couple free passes in the bottom of the third, tallying just one hit to score two runs.
Lorenz smacked a double to right-center in the fifth before Keehn brought her home with a single into right field. However, the Presidents responded with three runs on three hits in the fifth, capturing a 5-4 lead.Â
A big swing from Cihocki would quickly neutralize that rough half inning for NPU, as she launched a pinch-hit homer to dead center to tie the game at 5 all. The Vikings scored two more runs in the seventh on a pair of bases-loaded walks and looked to freshman pitcher Katelyn Meyer, who relieved Lafnear in the fifth, to close things out in the seventh.
The Presidents threatened with back-to-back extra-base hits, including a leadoff homer, but Meyer got the next three hitters out to secure her first collegiate win.
North Park Notables
- Baker, Keehn, Tan all with 2-hit games against Carlow
- Baker tosses all six innings, punching out six, in win over Celtics
- Patton 3-for-4 with double, triple against Presidents
- Lorenz, Keehn, and Tan with multiple hits in game two
- Keehn drives in four runners in the doubleheader, including her two-run homer in the opening frame against Washington & Jefferson
- Cihocki a perfect 2-for-2 in pinch hit chances today, including the game-tying homer in the fifth inning
What's Next?
North Park (5-3) concludes its time in central Florida with two games tomorrow, March 14, in Winter Haven. The Vikings play Husson University (6-6) at 9:00 AM ET before playing a familiar opponent in Beloit College (0-10) at 11:30 AM ET. Both games will be played at DiamondPlex Field E.
