DAVENPORT, Fla. — North Park baseball salvaged a split on getaway day in their final games of the Central Florida Invite on Saturday. The Vikings enjoyed an energetic game two win over Mt. St. Joseph after falling to Greenville in the morning contest.
The day began with a difficult matchup against Greenville, where the Panthers' late offense created a deficit North Park could not erase in a 10-5 loss.
North Park's biggest moments of the game happened in the third and fourth inning when senior designated hitter Rylan Kawakami smacked an RBI triple and sophomore shortstop Taylor Joseph hit a towering, two-run homer to left to put NPU ahead, 5-3. However, the Panthers held the Vikings scoreless for the next five innings and manufactured runs thanks to timely knocks and plenty of baserunners aboard. Panther center fielder Landyn Smith went 2-for-5 with 3 RBI in the Greenville win while Joseph was 3-for-4, tallying his second homer of 2026.
North Park quickly turned the page in game two against Mt. St. Joseph, delivering one of its most complete offensive showings of the spring trip in an 8-7 bounce-back win. The Vikings' spark came from junior catcher Reyn Matsuzaki, who authored a dominant performance with two home runs and four total hits, driving in three runs and repeatedly igniting North Park's attack. His first homer energized the Vikings early, and his second, a no doubter later in the game, capped a streak that flipped the momentum entirely in North Park's favor.
Offensively, North Park scored in five different innings, highlighted by a four-run fifth that erased a mid-game MSJ lead. Senior center fielder Joe Perona added a home run to lead off the game and reached base four times, while sophomore first baseman John Greenwood doubled and brought home a pair of runners.
The Viking bullpen was equally crucial in securing the comeback. After the Lions' early push chased North Park's starter, freshman right hander Jacob Titsworth took the game over, delivering 4.2 innings of shutdown relief while allowing just two hits and striking out two. His second-straight dominant performance out of the pen stabilized the entire game, halting the Lions' momentum. Senior late-inning arm Ethan Condit followed with additional strong work, recording multiple high-leverage outs to preserve the late lead and help close the door on MSJ. He marked his fourth-straight scoreless two-inning stint to grab his third win of the season.
Matsuzaki was, no doubt, the hero at the plate in game two. The junior from Honolulu, Hawaii tied the game with a homer in the seventh before adding another solo shot in the eighth to put the Blue & Gold ahead for good.
Top North Park Performers
- Reyn Matsuzaki – Two home runs in game two; finished with five hits on the day
- Jacob Titsworth – 4.2 innings of dominant relief in game two; 2 hits allowed, 2 strikeouts.
- Ethan Condit – Strong late-game relief appearance in game two, his fourth-straight scoreless relief appearance
- Joe Perona – Reached base four times in game two, including a leadoff homer
- John Greenwood – 2-for-5 with a pair of RBI and a double in game two
- Taylor Joseph – 5-for-9 with 4 runs scored; go-ahead homer in loss to Greenville
What's Next?
North Park (8-6) finally gets a home game in, opening its College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) schedule in Chicago against North Central College (3-6) on Thursday, March 19. First pitch at Holmgren is set for 3:00 PM CT.
