Mike Giovenco allowed one hit - a sixth-inning double - and the offense backed his pitching gem with an eight-run first inning to defeat Southern Vermont College, 14-0. Mike Sommerfield led the hitting attack with three hits and five runs batted in.
The Viking defense was a little rusty in the first, allowing a base runner to reach third on a pair of errors. Giovenco fanned the last two batters to get out of the early jam, then settled in to strike out all three Mountaineers in the second and two more in the third.
The offense was in gear early on, however, plating eight runs in the first inning. Nick Marino led off with a single, took second on a wild pitch, and scored on a base hit by Trevor Popp. After Brian Staatz was hit by a pitch, both runners moved up on a passed ball and scored on a single by Mike Domenick. Andy Athans reached on a fielder’s choice, then stole second and third. Zach Deutscher drew a walk, and a single off the bat of Devin Melecio made the score 4-0 with runners at the corners. Angel Carrasco coaxed a walk to load the bases with Sommerfield at the plate. Down two strikes, he launched a triple to right-center to put North Park up 7-0. Marino’s sacrifice fly capped off the scoring in the first.
North Park continued the hitting attack in the second, the big blow being a double by Deutscher to score Domenick and Athans. They added two more in the fifth (on a Sommerfield single and a sac fly by Popp) and wrapped up the scoring with a pair of tallies in the sixth with another RBI by Sommerfield and a second unusual sac fly by Popp, whose bases-loaded fly ball to medium right was dropped.
In the meantime, Giovenco shut down the Mountaineer batters over five innings, allowing just three runners (on an error, a walk, and a hit batsman). Southern Vermont second baseman Dave Gage managed the only hit of the game on a lead-off double that split the gap in right center. Alex Silverthorne, making his first appearance as a Viking, finished up on the mound with a scoreless seventh inning, including two strikeouts to end the contest.
Giovenco moves to 2-0 on the season after his six-inning performance, striking out
nine and walking two. The Viking offense was paced by Sommerfield (3-for-4 with 5 RBIs and a triple) as well as Marino, Domenick, and Melecio, each with 3-for-3 afternoons.
North Park takes on Carroll University on Sunday at 10.00 AM as they look to start the season 4-0 since 1982.
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