Box Score

North Park bowed out of the NCAA Tournament after being edged 4-2 by the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in Thursday's elimination game at the Midwest Regional in Whitewater, Wisconsin.

The contest featured tight defense and pitching with a few timely hits.  La Crosse took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third on a single, a bloop double, and a high chopper back to the mound.  Start Nick Soldano leaped high in the air to snag the ball but could not handle it as he came down; he was charged with a tough error, allowing the runner on third to score an unearned run. 

The Vikings responded with two runs in the fourth on consecutive singles by Ryan Javech, Tony Sanchez, and Joe Belmonte for one run, and a two-out single by Mike Coduto gave North Park its only lead of the game.  The Eagles retook the lead with two runs in the bottom of the fourth on three singles, a walk, and a sacrifice fly.  They added an insurance run in the seventh on two singles and a groundout.  The Vikings could manage only one base runner after the sixth against the Eagles' starter Garrett Scray.

North Park concludes its season with a mark of 32-14, the second highest win total in team history, only one victory behind the 33-12 squad of 1983.