BLOOMINGTON, Ill. -- North Park University Softball saw its 2026 season end Thursday afternoon at Inspiration Field, as the Vikings' late rally was not enough to overcome an early Augustana lead in a 7-4 loss in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin Tournament.
North Park (16-25) put pressure on the Augustana (20-20) defense throughout the afternoon, collecting 10 hits, but a series of home runs by the Vikings of Augustana proved decisive despite a four-run seventh inning by the Vikings from Chicago.
Augustana struck first in the bottom of the opening inning when Alexis Duke led off the game with a solo home run to left-center field, giving Augie a quick 1-0 advantage.
The score remained unchanged through the next two innings as Mya Brown and freshman hurler Abrianne Papas traded scoreless frames, with North Park threatening in the second but leaving two runners stranded. The momentum shifted in the fourth inning when Augustana broke the game open. After a one-out single by Aubrey Gradin, Madi Bickell lifted a two-run home run to left-center to extend the lead to 3-0. Augustana added another run later in the inning on a sacrifice fly by Emma Evans, making it 4-0 after four innings.
Augie continued to build their cushion in the fifth. A pair of two-out singles preceded a three-run home run by Gradin, scoring Lilli Burton and Lindsay LaVine to cap a six-run stretch across two innings and push the lead to 7-0.
North Park refused to go quietly. After Augustana turned to Addie Garr in the circle, the Vikings mounted a decisive rally in the top of the seventh. Consecutive singles by senior first baseman Kathryn Keehn and senior right fielder Sydney Snyder set the table, and North Park delivered three straight RBI singles with two outs.
Senior left fielder Eden Baker drove in the first run of the inning with a single up the middle, followed by an RBI single from senior center fielder Kayla Sapolu. Moments later, senior shortstop Kayla Lorenz added another RBI hit, trimming the deficit to 7-3. North Park plated a fourth run when freshman second baseman Miabella Collazo reached on a throwing error, allowing Sapolu to score unearned.
With the tying run on base, Augustana recorded the final on a sharp come-backer off the bat of senior catcher Katie Patton, ending North Park's season.
Top Performers
North Park
Augustana
- Aubrey Gradin: 2-for-3, 1 run, 3 RBI, HR
- Madi Bickell: 1-for-3, 1 run, 2 RBI, HR
- Alexis Duke: 1-for-4, 1 run, 1 RBI, HR
- Olivia Osborne: 3-for-3, 1 run
- Mya Brown: 5.0 IP, 4 hits, 0 runs, win
