MOLINE, Ill. -- North Park Baseball lost its early leads on Saturday afternoon in Moline as a pair of big innings by Augustana led to a 13-5 win for the Vikings from Rock Island.
North Park struck first in the opening inning when sophomore shortstop Taylor Joseph launched a solo home run to center field, putting the Vikings ahead 1-0. Augustana answered in the third by using a double steal and a sacrifice groundout to push across two runs and go ahead 2-1.
The Vikings quickly responded in the fourth. After reaching on an error and a pair of hits, senior designated hitter Rylan Kawakami delivered a two-out, two-run single to left field to regain a 3-2 advantage. North Park added to that lead in the fifth when junior left fielder Rylan Li lined an RBI single down the right-field line, extending their lead to 4-2.
Augustana seized control in the bottom of the fifth, sending nine runs across the plate. NPU issued several walks and hit-by-pitches, and Augustana capitalized with a pair of RBI singles.
North Park scratched across a run in the sixth as sophomore second baseman Kupono Akaka singled up the middle to score Joseph, but Augustana responded again in the home half with four more runs, fueled by RBI singles from Ryan Theile and Christian Clark alongside six stolen bases.
Augustana's bullpen locked in from there, holding North Park scoreless over the final three innings to secure the win.
Historical Note
Senior center fielder Joe Perona stole the 100th base of his career on Saturday. He represents the only player in CCIW history to reach triple-digit stolen bases.
Top Performers
North Park
Augustana
- Christian Clark — 2-for-4, 2 runs, 3 RBI
- Ryan Theile — 2-for-3, 2 runs, 2 RBI
- Kaileb Hackman — 2-for-5, 2 runs, 3 SB
- Jack Buckalew — 4IP, save, 1 ER
What's Next?
North Park (17-12, 6-4 CCIW) finishes its three-game series with Augustana on Sunday, April 19, hosting a doubleheader in Chicago. First pitch for game one is set for 2:00 PM CT.
