North Park moved into second place in the CCIW following Saturday's doubleheader sweep of visiting Millikin. The Vikings won the first game, 14-3, and took the nightcap, 12-5.
With a considerable wind blowing out to left field, offense was the order of the day. In game one, the Big Blue got on the board right away with a two-run homer by Brian Ekiss following the only Viking error of the contest. After giving up two more singles in the first, starter Nick Soldano settled down and held Millikin hitless over the next four innings.
After being shut out in the bottom of the first, the Vikings proceeded to score in each of the next five innings. In the second, Dan Sabin and Mike Coduto hit doubles and Tyler Woolbright had an RBI single. North Park batted around in the third to score five times. A Joe Belmonte double plated Eric Sousanes, an error and a passed ball scored Belmonte, a Woolbright single made it 6-2, a double steal allowed Brett Bernal to score, and a single by Zak Worsley gave Soldano a 7-2 cushion. In the fourth, Sabin singled home Tommy Endres, Coduto's groundout brought in Belmonte, and a fielder's choice by Woolbright made it 10-2. Doubles by Sousanes and Endres and a single by Sabin put the Vikings up 12-2 after five frames.
Soldano had been on cruise control through five, striking out eight and picking off one runner. He allowed a triple to lead off the sixth, and a groundout made it 12-3. Woolbright hit a two-run homer to left, his second of the season, to wrap up the scoring. Bobby Herrick worked a scoreless seventh to close out the game, which was shortened by the ten-run rule. Soldano (5-1) earned the win with six innings of four-hit, 10-strikeout pitching. Woobright (3-for-4, 5 RBI, 2 runs), Sabin (3-for-4, 2 RBI, 3 runs), Worsley (3-for-5), Sousanes (2-for-5, 2 runs), and Coduto (2-for-4, 2 RBI, 2 runs) each had multi-hit games for the Vikings, who had 16 for the game.
The long ball also played a part in the Vikings' win in game two. After taking a 1-0 lead after one inning, NP once again fell behind again on a two-run homer against starter Alex Silverthorne. North Park scored twice in the third to regain the lead, thanks to a Millikin error, which set the table for a two-run double by Endres. In the fourth, Coduto singled, Woolbright doubled, Coduto came in on a passed ball, and Mario Creecy executed a perfect squeeze bunt to put North Park up 5-2.
Millikin scored once in the fourth on a double play to pull to within a pair. In the sixth, Coduto singled, stole second and third, and came in on a fielder's choice off the bat of Creecy. After giving up a double to start the seventh, Silverthorne turned the ball over to Matt Peterson. A passed ball and a sacrifice bunt made it a 6-4 contest, but Peterson was able to halt the rally. The Vikings responded with four runs in the seventh, sparked by Endres' leadoff home run to left. Belmonte singled and Bernal hit a one-out double. Coduto singled in Belmonte, and a strange play resulted in a pair of runs. Woolbright singled to the left-field gap and tried to stretch the hit to a double as Bernal scored and Coduto took third. The throw nailed Woolbright sliding into second, but Millikin's second baseman, thinking that was the third out of the inning, rolled the ball toward the Millikin dugout, allowing Coduto to race home.
An eighth inning, a two-run homer by Sabin put an exclamation point on the day's offense: his round-tripper was estimated to have traveled 420 feet to center. The Big Blue managed one more run in the ninth on a triple and a double play.
Silverthorne (4-2) went six innings and struck out nine while Peterson picked up his second save with three innings of two-hit relief. Coduto (3-for-5, 2 RBI, 3 runs), Worsley (2-for-2, 2 runs), Endres (2-for-4, 3 RBI), Belmonte (2-for-5, 2 runs), and Woolbright (2-for-3) each had multi-hit games in the 14-hit attack.
The Vikings (18-9, 8-3) go for the series sweep tomorrow at noon.