CHICAGO, Ill. – North Park Baseball split a pair of games with the Elmhurst Bluejays on Saturday afternoon in Chicago. The Vikings took game one, 3-2, before a 10-9 loss in game two.
Game One: North Park 3, Elmhurst 2
North Park took an early lead in the first inning, scoring two runs in its first chance at the plate. Junior second baseman Rylan Kawakami walked and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Senior center fielder Alex DiVito delivered the first RBI of the game single through the right side. Sophomore catcher Reyn Matsuzaki then flied out to left field, allowing Kawakami to score. DiVito stole second and third base, before junior first baseman Enzo Vertucci singled to center field, bringing DiVito home for the second run.
On the mound, junior right hander Jackson Nuese was building a career outing. He got plenty of outs on his own, but was also aided by a nice grab over the dugout fence by Vertucci and a diving play by senior third baseman Riley Jepsen.
Elmhurst marked its first run in the fourth inning when Wichgers walked and stole second base, leading to Johnson's double to right field, driving in Wichgers for Elmhurst's first run of the game.
In the eighth inning, North Park extended its lead with a solo home run by Matsuzaki to right field, his eighth of the season.
Elmhurst made a final push in the ninth inning with a pinch-hit home run by Gnade to center field, but junior right hander Zach Price would secure a one-out save in the Vikings' 3-2 win.
Nuese enjoyed a career game on the mound in his third win of the season, punching out eight batters and allowing just one run in his 7.2 innings of work.
Game Two: Elmhurst 10, North Park 9
Fifth-year pitcher Griffin Self was zipping batches of fastballs by the Bluejay hitters in game two. The Vikings kept that momentum when Matsuzaki player Perona on an RBI double and freshman left fielder Vinnie Marvucic left the yard in the second to put NPU ahead, 2-1.
North Park built its lead in the middle innings on homers from Matsuzaki and senior designated hitter Nate Sommerfeld before the Bluejays' Gnade left the yard for the third time in the doubleheader, slimming NPU's lead to 5-4 through the top of the sixth.
DiVito kept NPU ahead with an RBI double in the home half of the sixth before an RBI fielder's choice, RBI double for Gnade, and sac fly by Rasmussen in the seventh put Elmhurst up, 7-6.
An RBI single up the middle by Marvucic tied the game at seven all before the Bluejay's Johnson cracked a three-run homer in the ninth, taking a 10-7 lead.
The Vikings nearly mounted a comeback in the ninth as a two-run single by Kawakami put NPU in the driver's seat, needing to score just one run with three outs to give. However, a pair of outs in the air and one on the ground ended the comeback bid as Elmhurst stole game two, 10-9.
What's Next?
North Park (11-17, 7-5 CCIW) steps out of conference play for a game at Milwaukee School of Engineering on Monday, April 21. First pitch is set for 1:00 PM CT.
