CHICAGO, Ill. -- North Park baseball improved to 10-6 and moved up to 2-0 in College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) play with a 3-1 victory over Carthage on Friday afternoon at the Holmgren Athletic Complex. A career outing from senior right-hander Sam Jackson was the primary factor in the Vikings' win, rattling off two triumphs in a row at Holmgren. The Vikings have now won eight of their past nine games as they look to keep their lead atop the conference standings.
Jackson delivered the longest and most dominant performance of his collegiate career, working 8.1 innings and allowing just two hits with 11 strikeouts and three walks. He faced 30 batters, retired the side in order in five different innings, and did not allow a run until a solo homer in the ninth. Jackson's rhythm began immediately as he struck out two in a perfect first inning and he rarely wavered after that. His only real early jam came in the second, when a walk and a wild pitch put a runner in scoring position, but Jackson answered with a strikeout to end the inning. From there he carved through Carthage, overpowering the Firebirds with high heat and chase breaking balls.
North Park backed its starter with an immediate lead. In the bottom of the first, senior center fielder Joe Perona doubled to right and stole third, setting up sophomore shortstop Taylor Joseph, who lifted a sacrifice fly to right to put the Vikings ahead 1-0. The early pressure continued with a single by sophomore first baseman John Greenwood and a walk to junior catcher Reyn Matsuzaki, but Carthage escaped further damage.
The Vikings threatened again in the fourth and took advantage of some Carthage misplays in the fifth. After junior third baseman Eli Johnson walked and sophomore second baseman Kupono Akaka advanced him with a sacrifice bunt, Perona lined out, but Joseph followed with a sharp single to second, sending Johnson to third. During the next at-bat, a throwing error on a pickoff attempt allowed Johnson to score, and moments later another Carthage error at third base let Joseph come home for a 3-0 lead.
From the sixth through the eighth, Jackson retired all nine hitters he faced, striking out four of them. He returned for the ninth at 3-0 and recorded the first out before surrendering a solo home run to left, as Coach Luke Johnson made the call to the pen. Senior closer Ethan Condit slammed the door with back-to-back strikeouts to secure the save, the 10th of his career.
North Park finished with five hits, including multi-hit performances from Joseph and a pair of extra-base knocks from Perona and senior designated hitter Rylan Kawakami. The Vikings played crisp defense behind Jackson, committing just one error on the backend of a physical double play, while taking care of all the routine plays.
Top Performers
North Park
- Sam Jackson (P): 8.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 11 K, 3 BB
- Ethan Condit (P): 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 K (Save)
- Taylor Joseph (SS): 2-for-3, 1 RBI, 1 run, SF
- Joe Perona (CF): 1-for-4, double, stolen base, 1 run
- Rylan Kawakami (DH): 1-for-4, double
Carthage
- Zander Tubbs (RF): 1-for-4, solo HR
- Jimmy Herget (CF): 1-for-3
- Brendan Roberts (P): 7.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R (1 ER), 7 K
What's Next?
There's more business to tend to with the Firebirds, as North Park heads up to Kenosha for a single game with Carthage on Saturday, March 21. First pitch at Augie Schmidt field is slated for 1:00 PM CT.
