The North Park Vikings batted around in both the sixth and eighth innings, plating seven and six runs, respectively, as they cruised to a 26-3 victory Thursday morning over Westminster (MO) College at the Gene Cusic Classic in Fort Myers, Florida.
The game started out as a tight contest with each team scoring once in the first inning. Trevor Popp led off with a single, stole second, took third on an error, and scored on a single off the bat of Luis Diaz. The Bluejays countered with a tally on three walks and a wild pitch against starting pitcher Alex Silverthorne.
The Vikings retook the lead with three runs in the second. Zach Deutscher and Eric Sousanes hit back-to-back singles, and Angel Carrasco lashed a double for a 2-1 lead. Mike Sommerfield and Popp each hit a sacrifice fly to put the Vikings up 4-1. In the bottom of the frame, Silverthorne continued to struggle with his control, allowing two runs on two hits, two walks, and a sacrifice fly. Nick Soldano was summoned from the bullpen facing a bases-loaded, two-out situation, and promptly picked the runner off second to end the threat.
With momentum on their side, the Vikings put up 13 runs over the next four innings. In the fourth, Carrasco led off with his first home run of the season, a long drive to left center. Popp singled, stole second, moved up on a single by Wade Yunker, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Mike Domenick for a 6-3 lead. In the fifth, Deutscher doubled, Sousanes singled him in, Carrasco was hit by a pitch, Sommerfield reached on a fielder’s choice and an error, allowing Sousanes to score, Popp reached on another error to bring in Carrasco, and Yunker singled to drive in Popp for a commanding 10-3 advantage. The sixth inning effectively put the game out of reach and allowed Coach Luke Johnson to bring in his reserves, many of whom made their first appearance for the Vikings. Brad Medina doubled and Deutscher cracked a homer just inside the left-field foul pole. Carrasco followed with a double, Sommerfield reached on a two-base error and left for pinch-runner Matt Rice; Popp and Yunker singled; Domenick doubled in a run, and Medina singled in a pair to give the Vikings a 17-3 lead. After a scoreless seventh, North Park put six runs on the board in the eighth. Yunker hit a one-out triple, Jeff Paulson reached on an RBI grounder that was booted, and Alvarez and Sean Witt loaded the bases on consecutive infield errors by the Bluejays. Vince Campanella drove in a run with a sacrifice fly, Brian Staatz followed with a run-scoring single, and Carrasco picked up his fourth hit of the contest, a two-run triple. Rice drove in Carrasco with a single to put North Park up 23-3. In the ninth, Tom McGrath drew a leadoff walk, Paulson singled, Alvarez connected for a run-scoring single, Witt lifted an RBI sacrifice fly, and Staatz ended the scoring barrage with a double.
All the while, the Viking pitching staff survived the first two innings for a seven-inning, one-hit combined effort. Soldano (2-0) turned in another fine performance on the mound, working 3 1/3 frames of one-hit ball, striking out four. Tim Cederberg, Mike Coduto, Jeff Davis, and Tom McGurn followed on the bump, each working one inning of scoreless and hitless relief.
On the day, 21 position players and six pitchers saw action for the Vikings. Leading the 26-hit attack were Angel Carrasco (4-for-5 with two doubles, a triple, a home run and four RBIs), Wade Yunker (also 4-for-5 with two RBIs), Trevor Popp (3-for-5 with two RBIs), and Zach Deutscher (3-for-5, two RBIs, a double, and a homer). Brad Medina, Eric Sousanes, and Brian Staatz each had two hits. The 26-run outburst is the most since a 1999 shootout in which the Vikings defeated the University of Chicago, 31-18.
The Vikings (5-3) close out their participation in Fort Myers with an early game against St. Lawrence (NY) College on Saturday before returning home.
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