Just four days after Wabash put together 39 hits in two victories over Earlham College, the Little Giant bats stayed red-hot on a cold night in Gary, Indiana. Wabash put together 19 hits in a 10-7 win over North Park University at the US Steel Yard baseball park.
Wabash picked up three runs in the opening inning on a pair of fluke plays. David Culp's one out single put a runner on base for Matt Dodaro. The sophomore hit a shot toward third that hit the base, bounding over the third baseman's head and into left field for a double. Jake Thomas followed with a two-run double to right-center, but was thrown out trying to stretch the hit into a triple.
The Little Giants added a single by senior Scott Hamilton to begin the second part of the rally. Shaun Rico drilled a shot that looked as if it would find a hole on the right side of the infield, but instead glanced off base umpire Tom Zimmerman's shin for a single. An error on a ground ball by Bobby Ritz scored Hamilton to put Wabash up 3-0.
Junior Mike Schultz earned the start for Wabash, working the first inning without allowing a base runner. Joey Niezer took the mound in the second inning, continuing the pitching dominance by holding the Vikings without a hit through five innings. Meanwhile Wabash staked Niezer to a 6-0 lead by scoring two more runs in the seoond and another in the third.
North Park picked up its first hit in the sixth inning after an error but a runner at second for the Vikings. Third baseman Brady Josephson broke up the combined no-hitter and the shutout with an RBI single to center. North Park added another run on a wild pitch to cut the lead to four runs.
Wabash came back with a run in the bottom of the sixth and another in the seventh to take a 8-2 lead. The Vikings added a run in the eighth before Wabash scored two in the bottom of the inning on Rico's RBI double. Ritz followed with a single to score Rico, putting Wabash up 10-3.
The Vikings, who had knocked off the sixth-ranked team in the nation over the weekend with a come-from-behind effort against Augustana, scored four runs in the top of the ninth inning before sophomore Andy Weeks closed things out with a strikeout against catcher Ryan Campbell with the bases loaded for the final out of the game.
Niezer picked up his second win of the season, working seven innings of two-hit baseball. He gave up one earned run with four walks, while striking out seven.
Thomas was 4-for-4, including a double and triple, with four RBIs. Ritz also had four hits in five at-bats, while Culp, Hamilton, Rico, and Mike Nowak each added two hits. The Little Giants had seven extra-base hits in the game.
Wabash (9-17-1) returns to Mud Hollow Field Thursday afternoon for a doubleheader against Robert Morris-Springfield at 1:30 p.m.