Carol Stream, Ill. - A handful of errors proved to be too much for the Thunder offense to overcome on Friday night as Wheaton dropped the opener of a three-game series to North Park by a score of 12-8. Wheaton made six errors which led to four unearned runs for the Vikings in a loss which dropped Wheaton to 17-7 overall and 7-4 in the CCIW. North Park improves to 13-10 overall and 6-5 in conference play. Wheaton will travel to Chicago tomorrow afternoon for a 1 pm doubleheader with the Vikings to conclude the series.

North Park plated its 11 runs on 14 hits with just one error. Wheaton scored eight runs on 10 hits with six errors. Christian Bolhuis took the loss for the Thunder after allowing six runs, five earned, on seven hits in six innings of work. The Thunder bullpen covered the final three innings, allowing just three earned runs, but six runs total. Josh Ward earned the win for the Vikings, allowing six earned runs in 7.2 innings of work.

North Park jumped out to a 2-0 lead with a run in the top of the first and second innings before Wheaton got on the board on Evan Ogden's solo home run to right field to lead off the bottom of the second inning. A three-run home run in the top of the fifth inning put the Vikings up 5-1, but Wheaton answered in with two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning on a two-run double by Matthias Haggerty scoring Brett Albaugh and Jacob Garrity.

Another run in the top of the sixth inning put the Vikings ahead 6-3, but Wheaton against posted two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning on a wild pitch and an RBI groundout by Albaugh to pull back within a run at 6-5.

A three-error top of the eighth inning opened the door for the Vikigns to tack on five runs on four hits and extend the lead to 11-5. Brett Albaugh's towering three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning cut the Viking the lead to 11-8 but the Vikings would add another run in the top of the ninth inning to account for the 12-8 final score.

Brett Albaugh and Evan Ogden each homered as part of a two-hit night. Albaught drove in four runs and scored twice. Matthias Haggerty also had two hits with two runs driven in.