Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

CHICAGO, Ill. – North Park won game one 4-1 on a ninth-inning home run and went on to sweep Saturday's doubleheader with Augustana, taking the nightcap 7-2. Coach Greg Wallace's 20th-ranked Vikings fell to 19-8 overall and 6-5 in the CCIW, while the host Vikings improved to 13-14 on the year and 3-8 in the league.
 
NORTH PARK 4, AUGUSTANA 1
 
The teams went to the ninth tied at 1-1 in the opener. In the top half, Junior Nathan Gray (Rock Island HS, Rock Island, Ill.) had a one-out double and senior Danny Fifer (Lincoln-Way West HS, New Lenox, Ill.) an infield hit, but they were left stranded at second and third. Augustana starter Seth Davis (Mullen HS, Aurora, Colo.) fanned Hunter Landry to start the bottom of the frame, but walked Ray Cekus. Joe Oehman's sacrifice moved pinch-runner Nathan Clarke to second and Augustana intentionally walked Alec Strachota. Junior Darwin Townsend (Libertyville HS, Libertyville, Ill.) came out of the pen to face Jeff Paulson and the North Park left fielder homered to center to end the contest.
 
The hosts took a 1-0 lead on a bases-loaded walk in the third. Davis avoided further damage in the inning, striking out Joe Belmonte to end the inning and leaving the bases loaded.
 
Augustana tied it on a leadoff homer by freshman Tommy Kiriakopoulos (Huntley HS, Lake in the Hills, Ill.) in the fifth.
 
Davis absorbed his second loss against five wins. He allowed six hits and three runs in 8 2/3 innings, walking eight and fanning 10. Gray had three hits and Fifer, Kiriakopoulos and junior Alex Fluehr (Harlem HS, Loves Park, Ill.) two each. Matt Peterson threw three scoreless innings out of the North Park bullpen and picked up the win.
 
NORTH PARK 7, AUGUSTANA 2
 
North Park starter Alex Vannucci held Augustana scoreless over the first seven innings of the nightcap. He got some breathing room when, nursing a 3-1 lead, his teammates scored four runs in the eighth inning.
 
Belmonte's leadoff double and an infield hit by Cam Adams got the hosts on the board against sophomore Kyle McGinley (Mullen HS, Denver, Colo.) in the second. They added a pair of unearned runs in the fifth to go up 3-0.
 
The visitors finally got to Vannucci in the eighth. Senior Kyle Lenihan (Romeoville HS, Romeoville, Ill.) reached second on an error to start the inning. Two outs later, senior Brandon Jasper knocked him in with a single to right.
 
North Park touched sophomore reliever Cooper SantAmour (Moline HS, Moline, Ill.) for four in the bottom of the eighth, getting RBI singles from Adams, Landry, Cekus and Oeman to take a 7-1 lead.
 
Senior Jacques Camalick (Hinsdale Central HS, Burr Ridge, Ill.) doubled in freshman Jack Hallmark (Cherry Creek HS, Englewood, Colo.) in the ninth, but Vannucci stranded two runners to finish off the complete game.
 
McGinley went five innings, allowing six hits and three runs, only one of which was earned. He walked one, fanned six and took his third loss in eight decisions. Gray had a two more hits for Augustana. Vannucci scattered seven hits, walked none and struck out seven.
 
The teams complete their three-game set on Sunday, April 12 at Swanson Stadium/Brunner Field. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.