Wheaton, Ill. – Wheaton concluded their three-game home conference stand Monday night, hosting the North Park Vikings. North Park claimed victory, holding off the Thunder 4-2 in a strong display of pitching and bullpen work. With the loss, Wheaton fell to 5-3 in conference play and 12-12 overall, while North Park moved into the conference lead at 5-2 and 15-8 overall.
The Vikings struck first in the top of the first, capitalizing on a throwing error off a pickoff move that advanced the runner from first to third. A run scored on the next at-bat before starter Alex Bagley recorded the third out of the inning.
Both clubs went 1-2-3 over the next two half-innings before Wheaton threatened in the bottom of the second. Consecutive hits from Mason Diel and Will Clegg put runners on first and second, but Vikings pitcher Jackson Nuese bore down and escaped the jam unscathed, retiring the next two batters on a strikeout and a fielder's choice.
North Park extended their lead in the top of the third. With two outs, a runner on first, and the wind howling out to right field, three-hole hitter Taylor Joseph punched a fly ball over the right field wall for a two-run home run, giving the Vikings a 3-0 advantage.
Scoring went quiet for two innings before the visitors added to their lead in the top of the fifth. A double that Caleb Schauer nearly hauled in with a leaping grab was driven in on the next at-bat, pushing the score to 4-0.
That ended a strong outing for Bagley, who finished with a line of 5.0 innings pitched, with eight hits, four runs, including three earned runs, four strikeouts, and one walk. North Park did a good job of putting the bat on the ball even in tough counts, though only two of the eight hits went for extra bases — a credit to Bagley's ability to limit hard contact.
In the bottom of the sixth, Wheaton loaded the bases with one out but managed to push across just one run. The Thunder scored again in the seventh on an RBI-single from Schauer, but the offense stalled from there on both sides.
Josh Ortiz and Billy Kessler each pitched well in relief to keep Wheaton in the game. Ortiz worked 2-2/3 innings, allowing only one hit while striking out five. Kessler followed with 1-1/3 scoreless innings, surrendering no hits and striking out two.
Offensively, Wheaton recorded six hits, drew six walks, and struck out seven times. Charlie Scofield went 2-for-4, as did Will Clegg, who added a double and an RBI. Mason Diel was 1-for-2 with two walks.
Wheaton will conclude their series against North Park on Tuesday in Chicago, with first pitch scheduled for 4:30 PM.
