Schaumburg, Ill. – Dominican University Baseball had their final non-conference game of the season against North Park University at Wintrust Field on Sunday.
Results:
North Park: 15
Dominican: 12
How it Happened:
-Dominican started the afternoon quickly in the bottom of the first inning after Graduate Student
Grayson Downing had a leadoff single in his first at-bat since returning from an arm injury on March 15
th. Following Downing's single, Junior
Zach Helein hit a single of his own, which was followed by a sac fly by Junior
Matthew Earley, scoring Downing. Junior
Niko Krecu reached base on an error following Earley's at-bat, which brought home Helein, giving the Stars a 2-0 lead after the first.
-North Park exploded for offense in the top of the third, tacking on 6 runs on 5 hits and took the lead 6-2.
-The Stars answered back quickly after a two run shot by Earley after Helein reached on an error. After Earley's homer, DU would load the bases and add an extra run by the bat of Senior
CJ Kalekas. Heading into the top of the fourth, Dominican trailed 6-5.
-The Vikings posted another run in the top of the fourth, making the score 7-5.
-In a wild bottom of the fourth, the Stars added 3 runs via Downing and Helein scoring on a passed ball and Earley reaching home after a groundout by Senior
Ryan Schmidt. DU would head into the fifth inning with an 8-7 lead.
-NPU regained the lead after scoring 3 runs in the top of the fifth.
-With the bases loaded in the bottom of the fifth, Earley would draw a walk, bringing home Kalekas and cutting the Viking lead to 10-9.
-In the top of the sixth, North Park added a pair of unearned runs, followed by another two runs in the top of the 7
th, making the deficit for DU 14-9.
-The Stars continued to battle in the bottom of the seventh, with Senior
AJ Davies scoring on a balk, followed by Downing scoring on a single by Earley. Helein would then score on an error, ultimately making the score 14-12 in favor of the Vikings.
-North Park added another run in the top of the eighth.
-Dominican was unable to spark a late-game comeback, falling 15-12 to the non-conference foe.
-This game saw 27 total runs with 30 hits, 11 combined errors, 11 combined walks, and 5 combined hit-by-pitches.
Shining Stars:
-Junior
Matthew Earley had a monster game, going 2-3 with 5 RBIs, including a two run home run, alongside a walk and a hit by pitch.
-Graduate Student
Grayson Downing was 2-5 with a walk and three runs scored.
-Junior
Zach Helein finished 1-4 with 2 walks and 4 runs scored.
-Senior
Braiden Galvin went 2-5 with a walk.
Leading the Way:
Hits: 5 Players (2)
HR: Earley (1)
HBP: Earley and Krecu (1)
RBI: Earley (5)
SB: Downing and Galvin (1)
IP: Phillips (2.1)
Ks: Phillips (2)
What's Next:
Dominican University Baseball fell to 15-21 overall on the season and is 7-6 at Wintrust Field. The Stars are back on the road at Rockford University on Tuesday, April 29
th for their last road doubleheader of the season. Game 1 is scheduled to start at 1:00 p.m.
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