SAUGET, Ill. — North Park baseball enjoyed timely knocks and quality relief pitching to outlast Buena Vista, 14-9, on Saturday afternoon at Grizzlies Park. The Vikings posted multiple early scoring bursts, weathered a mid-game push by the Beavers, and then turned the game around for good with a late surge backed by steady work from senior right-hander Zach Price.
Buena Vista struck first with a two-run homer from Kaden Struck in the top of the opening inning, but North Park answered with a four-run frame of its own. After senior center fielder Joe Perona and sophomore shortstop Taylor Joseph worked back-to-back walks, sophomore first baseman John Greenwood put the Vikings immediately on the board with an RBI single to right. Moments later, chaos on the bases swung the momentum fully toward North Park as four consecutive wild pitches allowed Joseph, Greenwood, and senior designated hitter Rylan Kawakami to all score, giving the Vikings a 4-2 lead after a very busy first inning.
In the second, North Park's offense kept things moving. Joseph singled, Greenwood singled, and Kawakami delivered an RBI knock to right to extend the lead to 5-3. One inning later, the Vikings created even more distance when Joseph launched a three-run homer to left field. His first collegiate round tripper gave North Park an 8-3 advantage, but Buena Vista refused to go away.
The Beavers mounted a five-run rally in the top of the fifth to erase the Vikings' lead. The frame included a bases-loaded error, an RBI single from Brandon Jenkins, a hit-by-pitch with the bases full, and a two-run single from JD Schneider that tied the game at 8 apiece.
When a fielder's choice in the bottom half of the inning brought home sophomore right fielder Vinnie Marvucic, North Park briefly regained a 9-8 lead, only for Buena Vista to tie it again in the sixth on a groundout by Connor Duong.
With the game even at 9-9 and momentum leaning toward Buena Vista, North Park turned to Zach Price, and the right-hander delivered exactly what the Vikings needed. Entering during the fifth-inning chaos, Price steadied the game by inducing a pair of outs to halt the Beavers' rally. He returned to record a clean sixth aside from a single and then worked out of traffic in the seventh, striking out a batter and inducing soft contact to keep the game tied. His 2.2 innings—allowing just one run while navigating inherited trouble—became the turning point that allowed the Vikings to reset.
With Price keeping Buena Vista in check, North Park's offense roared back to life in the bottom of the seventh. Sophomore second baseman Kuono Akaka and Perona opened the inning with walks, and Joseph followed with an infield single to load the bases. Greenwood then smacked a two-run single to left, driving in Perona and Akaka to reclaim an 11-9 lead. Kawakami added a sacrifice fly, and junior left fielder Noa Fujitani added another clutch drive with a two-run single, stretching the lead to five runs.
From there, senior Ethan Condit closed the door for the second time in 24 hours, striking out three over two scoreless frames while allowing just one hit. He retired the final three batters of the game to secure the game two win.
Joseph (3-for-5, HR, 4 RBI, 4 runs) and Greenwood (3-for-5, 3 RBI, 2 runs) led an 11-hit North Park offense that also featured multi-RBI contributions from Kawakami and Fujitani. Marvucic reached base four times, and Perona scored three runs. Starter Sam Jackson punched out eight hitters before the call to the pen while Price and Condit teamed up for 4.2 innings of relief, scattering 3 hits with 5 K's between them.
What's Next?
North Park (4-5) looks to get back to .500 tomorrow, March 8, against host Webster University (4-7). First pitch on getaway day at Arsenal BG Ballpark is set for 2:00 PM CT.
