CAROL STREAM, Ill. -- North Park Baseball built an early lead and backed it with steady pitching Monday afternoon, earning a 4-2 CCIW road victory over Wheaton at Lee Pfund Stadium. The win was head coach Luke Johnson's 400th at the helm of North Park Baseball.
The Vikings struck first in the opening inning. With two outs, sophomore shortstop Taylor Joseph singled through the right side in a two-strike count and moved into scoring position on a throwing error from a failed pickoff attempt. Next, junior catcher Reyn Matsuzaki lined a single up the middle to bring Joseph home for the 1-0 lead.
North Park starter Jackson Nuese spun a 1-2-3 first and worked around early Wheaton baserunners in the second as the Vikings added separation in the third. Sophomore second baseman Kupono Akaka reached on a two-out single, setting the stage for Joseph, who drove a high fly to right field for a two-run home run, his fourth in five games. The blast pushed the lead to 3-0 as Nuese continued to keep the recently hot Wheaton bats cold.
Wheaton mounted threats throughout the middle innings, putting runners on base in four consecutive frames, but Nuese consistently limited damage. The Thunder were held scoreless through five despite multiple scoring opportunities, including runners in scoring position in the second and fourth.
North Park tacked on an insurance run in the fifth. Joseph doubled to left to open the inning, and Matsuzaki once again delivered, singling through the right side to plate Joseph and make it 4-0.
Wheaton broke through in the sixth after Nuese exited with one out and the bases loaded. An RBI groundout by Will Clegg scored Jack Gill, trimming the margin to 4-1. The Thunder struck again in the seventh, using a leadoff walk, a wild pitch, and an RBI single from Caleb Schauer to bring the tying run to the plate.
The Vikings bullpen answered from there. Senior late-inning arm Ethan Condit entered in the seventh and shut the door over the final 2.2 innings, allowing just two hits while striking out three to record the 13th save of his career. He's now just one save away from tying Tony D'Andrea's all-time record of 14. North Park right-hander Jacob Titsworth bridged the gap earlier, working out of jams in the sixth and seventh to preserve the lead.
Behind the plate, Matsuzaki nabbed a pair of runners attempting to steals as the Thunder ran themselves out of a pair of innings.
The win moves North Park to 15-8 overall and 5-2 in CCIW play, while Wheaton falls to 12-2 and 5-2 in conference action.
Top Performers
North Park
- Taylor Joseph: 3-for-5, 3 runs, 2 RBI, home run, double
- Reyn Matsuzaki: 3-for-4, 2 RBI, walk; threw out two base stealers
- Jackson Nuese: 5.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 4 SO (win)
- Ethan Condit: 2.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 SO (save)
Wheaton
- Charlie Scofield: 2-for-4
- Will Clegg: 2-for-4, double, RBI
- Caleb Schauer: 2-for-4, RBI
- Mason Diel: 1-for-2, two walks
What's Next?
North Park plays the other half of the two-game series with Wheaton tomorrow, April 7, in Chicago. First pitch at Holmgren is scheduled for 4:30 PM CT.
