Carol Stream, Ill. – The Wheaton baseball team returned home to Lee Pfund Stadium for the first time in a week on Friday night with a CCIW matchup against North Park. The Thunder shut out the Vikings 7-0 in the convincing win. Wheaton scored seven runs, on 12 hits, with one error, while the Vikings had no runs, on five hits, with two errors.

Nate Barker (2-0) shined for the second-consecutive Friday as he earned the win in seven innings as the starter. Barker held the Vikings scoreless, scattering five hits, with five strikeouts and four walks allowed. Caleb Vankerkhoff worked one inning of scoreless relief, with one walk and a strikeout. Caleb Downing tossed an inning of relief, with no runs allowed, no hits, and one strikeout.
 
Thunder designated hitter Mason Diel was 3-for-4, with a double, three RBI and a run scored. Centerfielder Ben Weaver was 3-for-5, with a double, one RBI and a run scored. Leftfielder Joe Klein hit a double for the hosts in tonight's outings.

Wheaton gained the lead with two runs in the bottom of the second inning. Klein hit a one-out double in the second, followed by a single for Larken Lancaster. Klein scored on a RBI-single by Diel and Lancaster scored on a RBI-single by Jacob Snyder.

The Thunder lead increased to 5-0 in the bottom of the fourth inning as the hosts added three runs. Diel led off the fourth inning with a double and he scored on a RBI-single by Kyle Wu. Weaver hit a run-scoring ground-rule double that brought catcher Luke Hamm home. Wu scored a run to give the Thunder a 5-0 lead off of a RBI-single by Matthias Haggerty.

The hosts added two more runs in the bottom of the seventh inning as Wheaton extended its lead to 7-0. Weaver led off the seventh with a single up the middle of the infield and Haggerty was hit by a pitch to put runners at first and second with no outs. Diel hit a RBI-single through the left side of the infield that brought Weaver and Haggerty home.

Wheaton travels to Decatur, Illinois tomorrow for a CCIW doubleheader