CHICAGO, Ill. -- Gusting winds straight out to center field created opportunity for plenty of offense in North Park University Baseball's doubleheader with Lawrence University on Saturday afternoon. That certainly happened, as the two Vikings teams split in NPU's home opener.
Game One - North Park 8, Lawrence 7
North Park did the dirty work to get the first run on the board in the bottom of the second. Freshman first baseman John Greenwood drew a walk before freshman designated hitter Vinnie Marvucic was plunked. Senior left fielder Nate Sommerfeld dropped down a perfect bunt for hit up the third base line to load the bases. Greenwood crossed the plate when senior shortstop Reece Arakaki fought with two strikes to punch a ball towards first base that was mishandled.
Lawrence tied the game in the third inning when Ben Gutowski tripled to center field, but North Park pulled ahead again in their next trip to the plate on Greenwood's RBI groundout.
Unfortunately, Lawrence plated six runs through the next three innings to take a 7-2 lead.
Sommerfeld sparked the offense in the sixth inning with a two-run homer to right field, scoring Greenwood who had doubled down the right field line to lead off the inning. The Blue & Gold plated two more runs in the seventh when senior center fielder Alex DiVito doubled to left field, scoring junior second baseman Rylan Kawakami. A sac fly by Greenwood put the Vikings just one run away, 7-6.
A scoreless eighth inning concluded junior reliever Jackson Nuese's time on the mound - he finished the game with 4 IP, one earned run allowed, and three strikeouts before turning it over to junior Ethan Condit. Condit surrendered just one hit in the ninth, punching one out in his scoreless relief as NPU had one chance left at the plate.
DiVito worked to get a 2-0 count in the ninth inning before coming unglued on a fastball to deposit a home well beyond the right-field bleachers and tie things up, 7-7.
The Vikings weren't done yet, though, as Marvucic hammered the first pitch he saw into the North Branch of the Chicago River for a walkoff no doubter.
Game Two - Lawrence 14, North Park 4 (8 Inn.)
The energy from game one didn't carry into game two, as Lawrence pulled ahead, 8-0, through the top of the fourth inning. A two-run single by sophomore catcher Reyn Matsuzaki - who finished the day 5-for-8 - in the bottom of the fourth made things closer, 8-2, and an RBI single from senior third baseman Riley Jepsen in the sixth made it a five-run game, 9-4, but this is as close as NPU would get, falling 14-4 in eight innings.
What's Next?
North Park (3-11) hosts Dominican University (7-5) on Tuesday, March 18. First pitch at Holmgren is set for 3:00 PM CT.
