The North Park offense came alive on Thursday as the Vikings batted around three times in an 18-3 win over Haverford College in Fort Myers, Florida.
The game started in less-than-promising fashion for the Vikings, however, as Alex Silverthorne gave up a leadoff single, hit the next batter, and unleashed a wild pitch. After two ground ball outs, the Vikings were looking at a 2-0 deficit. In the bottom of the first, Zak Worsley and Eric Sousanes were each hit by pitch. Worsley took third on an unsuccessful pickoff play and scored on a groundout by Tommy Endres.
The Fords widened their lead to 3-1 in the third on two hit batsmen and an error. North Park then sent nine batters to the plate and scored six times. Connor Sarant, Worsley, Sousanes, and Endres each walked; Joe Belmonte connected for a two-run single; Dan Sabin cracked a run-scoring double; a Mike Coduto groundout plated a run; and a wild pitch wrapped up the scoring for the inning.
With a 7-3 lead going into the bottom of the fourth, the Vikings sent ten men to the plate, adding five more runs. Sarant reached on an error and stole second; Sousanes walked; Endres and Belmonte hit back-to-back RBI singles; Sabin walked; Coduto reached on a fielder's choice; and Tyler Woolbright unloaded a three-run double.
The Vikings added a run in the fifth on a bases-loaded walk to Coduto, scoring Worsley. Their third long inning came in the sixth, with eleven batters accounting for five runs. Mario Creecy and Sarant were each hit by a pitch; Worsley singled to load the bases; Sousanes singled; Endres and Belmonte had consecutive sacrifice flies; Sabin walked; Coduto hit a run-scoring double; and Creecy singled in the final Viking run.
After a shaky start to the game, Silverthorne cruised through six innings, allowing just two singles in the first two frames, walking none, striking out four, and yielding only two earned runs for his second win of the season. He was aided by two excellent double plays started by second baseman Coduto. Three relievers finished up on the mound for the Vikings, each with a scoreless inning: John Nemcek, Charlie Moran, and Kyle Kennedy.
Belmonte led the hitting attack with three hits and four batted in. Worsley, Sousanes, and Sabin each had two-hit games; Endres, Coduto, and Woolbright each drove in three; Worsley scored four times and Sousanes, three. The Vikings drew ten walks and were also hit by pitches seven times.