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North Park Baseball Team Ends Season with Loss
AURORA, IL (May 8, 2002) - North Park University (NPU) finished its 2002 baseball
season with an overall record of 11-29 after a 9-4 nonleague loss at Aurora
University Tuesday.
Despite the losing record, the Vikings finished strong, winning five of the
final nine contests. NPU's 8-13 mark in the College Conference of Illinois
and Wisconsin (CCIW) was also its best record in three years. Considering
that the team had no seniors in its lineup, the Vikings seem to have a
bright future ahead.
Jason Morgan hit .351 for North Park and also paced his team in hits (53),
doubles (13), homers (7) and runs batted in (42). Tony Palumbo (.325), Dan
Gutierrez (.303), Dion Rubino (.303) and Kevin Carroll (.302) also hit .300
or better for the Vikings.
In the pitching department, Jeff Hanson of Hillside Covenant Church in
Walnut Creek, California, finished 4-8 on the season after taking the loss
against Aurora. The sophomore moved into 11th place on the all-time
strikeout list with 130 after fanning 68 in 82 and two-thirds innings this
spring.
North Park finished its conference slate by winning two of three against
Wheaton College, May 3-4. The Vikings opened the series with a 5-2 win as
Hanson pitched his ninth complete game of the season. Hanson struck out
nine and a Palumbo sacrifice fly in the fifth inning put NPU ahead for good
as the team overcame an early 2-0 deficit.
After being shut out 4-0 in the second game of the series, the Vikings
pounded out 21 hits in a 16-9 win over the Thunder. Palumbo had four hits
and three runs batted in while Gutierrez went 4-for-5 with four runs. NPU
had a six-run fifth inning as Carroll had a three-run double and Morgan
added a two-run single.
In other recent games:
- May 2 - NPU beat Millikin University 6-4 in a CCIW contest as the
Vikings used a sacrifice fly by Carroll and a run-scoring single by Nick
Zayas to break a 4-4 tie in the eighth inning. Ben Macaux pitched into the
ninth inning for the win and Greg Gober picked up the save by getting the
final two outs.
- May 1 - Palumbo had three runs batted in during a 9-7 nonleague loss at
St. Xavier University.
- April 30 - Gober had his first homer of the year and drove in four runs
as NPU beat host Trinity International 16-5. Morgan had four hits and four
runs batted in while Morgan added four hits.
- April 29 - NPU split a conference doubleheader with Millikin, taking
the first game 10-4 and losing the second game 7-5. Hanson won the opener
as Morgan hit a three-run homer and a two-run homer.
For more information on North Park's athletic programs, call Director of
Sports Information Chris Nelson at 773-244-5670.
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