Nappanee, Ind. – July 1, 2023 – The Southland Vikings and Elkhart County Miracle met for the second consecutive day at NorthWood Field of Dreams on Saturday, and this time it was the Vikings who came out on top after holding off the Miracle late in a 5-3 win.
The Vikings scored first in the third inning on a two-run single from newcomer Angelo Luna and a sacrifice fly by Charlie Schau to take a 3-0 lead.
They then added two more runs in the fourth inning on a two-run double by Ty Chaney Jr. to extend the lead to 5-0.
That fourth inning double would turn out to be the last hit for the Vikings in the game as Miracle starter Robino Vasquez Vallejo settled in and set down the Vikings in order for the final five innings.
Meanwhile, Will Moell (2-1) kept the Miracle off balance as he racked up nine strikeouts through five innings while allowing one run on three hits and seven walks.
Moell was able to work around traffic on the bases, stranding men on base in each of his five innings of work as he picked up his second win of the season.
Kaydon Norkus made his Viking debut when he took over on the mound to begin the sixth inning and tossed the final four innings to pick up the save.
Norkus allowed two runs on one hit and two walks while striking out six in his debut.
“Great work by Will [Moell]. Great bounce back start as he worked around some walks, but always found a way to figure it out and got out of some tough spots,” manager Sullivan Stickann said after the game. “And Kaydon [Norkus] going four innings in his first appearance is really awesome. His stuff looked really great and he’s really going to help the team.”
The pitching performances of Moell and Norkus helped the Vikings snap their three-game losing streak and bring their record to 14-14 to start the month of July. The Vikings have a two-game lead over the Panthers and Miracle for third place in the Northern League standings.
The Vikings will enjoy a day off on Sunday before hosting the Panthers on Monday at Dowling Park. First pitch is scheduled for 5pm.