AUBURNDALE, Fla. -- North Park University Baseball got in the win column on Friday night after splitting a seven-inning doubleheader with the Marian University Sabres (4-3). Marian took game one, 7-2, before the Vikings triumphed in the night cap, 5-1.
Marian's Riley Richard and North Park's Kevin Ayeski kept the first two innings scoreless, as neither pitcher allowed any runs through the first 12 outs of the game.
The Vikings were first to strike in the third inning. Junior first baseman Enzo Vertucci singled up the middle, moved up to second on a sac bunt by senior third baseman Riley Jepsen, and then over to third on a groundout by junior right fielder Joe Perona. Next, junior second baseman Rylan Kawakami, who finished the doubleheader 5-for-8 with a controversial ground-rule double, knocked Vertucci in with a single into right field. A dropped third strikeout and throwing error by the Sabres' catcher let Kawakami score, putting NPU up 2-0 after three.
However, the Sabres responded with five runs on four hits in their next trip to the plate, stealing a 5-2 lead.
A 1-2-3 inning for North Park was followed with two more runs for the Sabres in the top of the fifth. Neither team scored the rest of the way as Marian's Richard rode a seven-inning "complete game" win, scattering five hits and one run. North Park junior right hander Zach Price navigated 3.1 innings of no-earned-run relief, allowing just two hits.
In game two, the Vikings nearly batted around to start the game. Kawakami got the hit party going with a single to center and saw those efforts duplicated by senior center fielder Alex DiVito, senior left fielder Nate Sommerfeld, freshman first baseman John Greenwood, senior shortstop Reece Arakaki, and sophomore catcher Reyn Matsuzaki; six singles led to three runs for the Vikings.
The Vikings put another run on the board in the third on a two-out, RBI single from Matsuzaki and one more in the fourth thanks to Kawakami's single up the middle.
Meanwhile, junior right hander Jackson Nuese was keeping the Sabres down, tossing 4.1 innings while scattering three hits with six strikeouts. He allowed just one earned run in his outing - an RBI single in the fifth. Senior left hander Brett Ravitz relieved Nuese in the fifth, allowing just one hit, one walk, and fanning two in his scoreless relief. The duo allowed just four hits on the day, en route to a 5-1 North Park win.
Kawakami, Arakaki, and Matsuzaki all finished with 2+ hits in game two, led by a 3-for-4 performance for Kawakami. Perona, Kawakami, and DiVito all added a stolen base.
Additionally, Sommerfeld's hit-by-pitch in game one makes him the Vikings' all-time leader in the category, bringing his career total to 46 and passing teammate Justin Swanson's 45, established in 2024.
What's Next?
North Park (1-8) will take on Aurora University (3-7) tomorrow, March 8, in Winter Haven, Florida. First pitch at Chain of Lakes Park will be 9:30 AM ET.
