BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – An eighth inning effort by the North Park baseball team came up just short at Horenberger Field, as the Vikings fell to the Titans 6-4.
Illinois Wesleyan held a 2-1 lead for the majority of the game thanks to an RBI single by Pratscher and a sacrifice fly by Greer. The lone Viking run through seven innings was manufactured when Justin Woolbright doubled down the left-field line and scored on a wild pitch.
North Park found their footing in the eighth inning when Jared Cantu led the inning off with a single and moved up to third base when Logan Peters dropped down a bunt that was mishandled by the Titan third baseman. This brought the dangerous bat of Jake Reinhardt to the plate, who was plunked by the Titan pitcher to load the bases. Delivering the big swing, Ranko Stevanovic cleared the bases on a double to right-center field to give the Vikings a 4-2 lead.
Unfortunately, Illinois Wesleyan avoided a four-game sweep by scoring four runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to snag a 6-4 win from the Vikings.
FINAL: Illinois Wesleyan 6, North Park 4
Quick Hits:
- Cantu, Reinhardt, Stevanovic, and Woolbright all had multi-hit days
- Stevanovic tacked on three RBIs
- Bobby Bartlett was stuck with the hard-luck loss, surrendering just one earned run through four innings of quality work on the hill
What's Next?
North Park (8-8, 3-8 CCIW) hosts Wheaton College for a single game on Tuesday, April 6. First pitch at Holmgren is set for 3 p.m.
