SAUGET, Ill. -- North Park Baseball rode a resilient start from senior right-hander Jackson Nuese and a timely late-inning surge to claim a gritty 2-1 comeback win over 15th-ranked UW-La Crosse on Friday afternoon in Sauget, Illinois.

Nuese set the tone by working out of repeated jams while allowing just one unearned run across seven efficient innings. La Crosse scored its only run in the first, when Charley Rowan singled, stole second, and came home on an infield error. But even in that early trouble, Nuese prevented further damage by inducing a flyout and then a double play to end the frame. In the third, after surrendering a leadoff single, Nuese erased the threat himself with a pickoff at first and later ended the inning on a lineout to short. He stranded a runner in scoring position in both the fourth and sixth innings, mixing weak contact with spot-on command, and he finished his day by retiring the side in order in the seventh. His final line (7.0 innings, six hits, no earned runs, no walks, five strikeouts) marked a new best start of the season.

Offensively, however, North Park struggled early. La Crosse starter Owen Deprez held the Vikings to just two hits across seven scoreless frames, inducing a mix of ground balls to keep the NPU lineup quiet. North Park's best early chance came in the third, when senior center fielder Joe Perona moved up to second on an error, but a flyout to right ended the inning and preserved La Crosse's narrow lead.

The game turned in the eighth, when the Eagles handed the ball to the bullpen. Sophomore second baseman Kupono Akaka sparked the rally with a sharp single, and Perona followed by being hit with a pitch, pushing the tying run into scoring position. After a strikeout, sophomore first baseman John Greenwood delivered the decisive swing of the game. Working with two outs and two on, he drove a pitch into left-center for a two-run double, bringing home Akaka with the tying run and Perona with the go-ahead score. That timely knock would mark the lone extra-base hit of the day for either squad.

Senior right-hander Ethan Condit took over for Nuese to start the bottom of the eighth and immediately rewarded the decision. He retired all three hitters he faced in the inning, including two strikeouts, then returned for the ninth and worked around a two-out single to seal the victory. Over two innings, he allowed just one hit and struck out three, snagging his eighth career save.

Greenwood finished with two hits and both North Park RBIs, while Matsuzaki and Akaka chipped in base hits of their own. For La Crosse, Rowan led the Eagles with four hits and two stolen bases, but the North Park pitching duo of Nuese and Condit ultimately guided North Park to a weekend-opening win.

What's Next?

North Park (3-5) takes on Buena Vista University (2-5) on Saturday, March 7, back at Arsenal BG Ballpark. First pitch is set for 3:00 PM CT.