HUNTINGDON, AL -- North Park opened its 2026 season with an 11-1 win over N.C. Wesleyan before falling 17-7 to host Huntingdon later in the day.

In the opener, the Vikings struck first with a two-run second inning, sparked by back-to-back singles from sophomore Vinnie Marvucic and sophomore infielder Taylor Joseph. An RBI fielder's choice from senior Eli Johnson plated the first run, and a sacrifice fly from outfielder Rylan Li brought home another. N.C. Wesleyan answered with a run in the third on a double by Brown and an RBI single from Nance, but North Park's pitching staff held them scoreless the rest of the way. Senior starter Jackson Nuese led that effort, scattering six hits and allowing just one run in five innings of six-K work.

The Vikings created separation in the seventh inning when senior outfielder Joseph Perona was hit by a pitch, stole second, moved up on a wild pitch, and scored on infielder John Greenwood's RBI groundout. Joseph followed with an RBI single, and Peyton Robinson forced home another run after being hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. North Park then erupted for five runs in the eighth, capitalizing on three N.C. Wesleyan errors - both Perona and senior infielder Rylan Kawakami scored on miscues, Marvucic and Greenwood also scored on an error following Joseph's contact, and Joseph later crossed on a wild pitch. In the ninth, Perona tripled and scored on a single from junior catcher Reyn Matsuzaki to round out the scoring.

To close out the game, LeBaron Lee, Jr. and Baker Robinson spun four innings of two-hit, no run relief. Lee totaled three of those innings, punching out four.

Top Performers – North Park (Game 1)

• T. Joseph – 3-for-5, RBI, run
• J. Perona – 3 runs, triple, 2 SB
• R. Matsuzaki – 1-for-3, RBI, 2 HBP
• J. Nuese – 5.0 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 6 SO, 1 BB
• L. Lee – 3.0 IP, 1 H, 4 SO

Top Performers – N.C. Wesleyan

• S. Brown – 3-for-3, 3 doubles, 1 run
• M. Nance – RBI single
• B. Williams – 2 hits

In the second game, North Park's offense continued to produce but couldn't overcome a series of defensive miscues and stong offense from the hosts that allowed Huntingdon to build and repeatedly extend its lead. The Vikings tallied two runs in the second inning on contact from Marvucic and Joseph, and Perona launched the Vikings' first home run of the season in the fifth. Their biggest surge came in the sixth, when RBI singles from senior Enzo Vertucci and Joseph, combined with bases-loaded walks to Perona and Kawakami, produced a four-run inning. Still, Huntingdon's steady string of multi-run frames, aided by some NPU errors, led Huntingdon to the short-game win.

Top Performers – North Park (Game 2)

• E. Vertucci – 2 hits, 3 RBI
• J. Perona – HR, 2 RBI
• T. Joseph – RBI single, reached multiple times
• V. Marvucic – 2 hits, 2 runs

Top Performers – Huntingdon

• S. Kelley – 3 hits, 3 RBI, triple
• T. Pruitt – 2 hits, 3 RBI, double
• J. Sampson – 2 RBI, reached three times

What's Next?

North Park (1-1) has one more game in Alabama, facing the Mississippi University for Women at 10:30 AM CT, Saturday morning at Neal Posey Field.