Box Score

MOLINE, Ill. – North Park scored at least two runs in each of the last seven innings Friday on its way to a 17-9 win over Augustana on Senior Day at Swanson Stadium/Brunner Field. The hosts dropped to 26-12 on the year and 12-10 in the CCIW, while NPU improved to 15-23 overall and 8-14 in the league.
 
The contest started out routinely enough, with starters Brad Dubow (Naperville Central HS, Naperville, Ill.) and Brent Kessinger matching goose eggs through two innings. However, three Viking errors in the top of the third led to four North Park runs. Jared Cantu's single through the middle plated Greg Grana with the game's first run.
 
Tyler Kopp walked and Grana was hit by a Dubow offering to start the top of the fourth and both eventually scored as the visitors went up 6-0.
 
Augustana responded with two runs in the bottom half. Junior Matt Loeffl (Grayslake Central HS, Grayslake, Ill.), senior Cayton Wallace (Assumption HS, Rock Island, Ill.) and junior Tyler Nunez (Byron HS, Byron, Ill.) had consecutive one-out singles. Freshman Jake Huber (Lockport HS, Homer Glen, Ill.) grounded into a fielder's choice that drove in Loeffl and Wallace scored on a throwing error to cut the deficit to 6-2.
 
North Park continued to add deuces to the scoreboard for the next three innings. After Caleb Layden and Cantu had RBI singles in the top of the fifth, senior Mitchel Ruh (Hinckley-Big Rock HS, Big Rock, Ill.) drove in sophomore Ryan Kairis in the bottom of the frame to make it 8-3.
 
Four NPU singles in the sixth scored another pair of runs as North Park went up 10-3, but the Vikings answered with a half dozen in the bottom half, cutting the margin to a single run. Nunez led off with a walk and Huber and sophomore Nick Mosele (University HS, Bloomington, Ill.) followed with singles, with Mosele's plating Nunez. After a pinch single by sophomore Mike Avella (Crystal Lake South HS, Crstal Lake, Ill.) loaded the bases, senior Peter Doughty (York HS, Elmhurst, Ill.) had a two-run double to right. Ruh knocked in two more with a single to left and Nunez had an RBI single to trim the deficit to 10-9.
 
The visitors came right back with two more in the seventh, three in the eight and two in the ninth to account for the final. Meanwhile, Andy Robbins came out of the NPU pen in the sixth and shut Augustana down over the final three innings. He earned the save, with Kessinger (6-5) picking up the win. Dubow suffered his first loss in five decisions this year.
 
Doughty, Ruh, Wallace, Nunez and Mosele each had two of the Vikings' 14 hits. Doughty drove in two and Ruh three.
 
The teams will wrap up the 2017 regular season with a doubleheader in Chicago, Illinois on Saturday, May 6. A sweep would guarantee Augustana a berth in this year's CCIW Tournament.