CHICAGO, Ill. – North Park baseball fell in an 8-6 game to a tough University of Dubuque team on Thursday afternoon. The Vikings banged out 17 hits but left 10 runners on base in the midweek non-conference game.
North Park pulled ahead by three runs on RBI singles by Justin Swanson and Graham Porter in the first inning, scoring Reece Arakaki and Bobby Bartlett. Arakaki, who was the Vikings' first hit in the first inning, contributed again in the second inning, singling up the middle to score Jim Zay.
Dubuque, who entered the game with a 21-10 record, exploded for five runs in the third inning. Utilizing four hits, a failed pickoff attempt, and a pair of walks, the Spartans turned the tables and held a 5-3 lead.
The Vikings got runs back in the third inning on an Alex DiVito single, scoring Carlos Martinez, and in the fifth inning when Graham Porter banged one off the bleachers for his first career home run. However, the Spartans matched the Vikings with an RBI double in the third inning, a two-run single in the fourth, and RBI single in the ninth.
Martinez flipped a run-scoring single into right field in the ninth inning, bringing Nathan Sommerfeld home, but this was as close as North Park could get, falling 8-6.
Quick Hits:
- Quality relief appearance for Zach Price, who struck out three while allowing just one run in 5.2 IP
- Porter leaves the yard alongside a game-leading 4-for-5 day at the plate
- Arakaki goes 3-for-5 with an RBI and run scored
- Zay triples, representing the only other XBH for NPU
- Dubque's Kyle Radi led the Spartans, going 3-for-4 with a triple
What's Next?
North Park (12-21, 6-6 CCIW) have a three game series with Elmhurst, beginning Friday, April 28, at 7:00 PM CT. All three games will be at Butterfield Park in Elmhurst.
