The University of Wisconsin-Platteville baseball team dropped a 3-1 decision to host North Park University on Sunday afternoon at the Holmgren Complex in Chicago, Illinois.
The Pioneers (3-11) stranded 10 runners on base and hit into two double plays in the loss. Levi Ney paced an eight-hit attack with a 3-for-4 effort at the plate and Jon Lewerke added two hits. Starting pitcher Adam Theis was the tough-luck loser, going 7 1/3 innings, scattering nine hits and striking out five to drop his record to 1-2 on the season.
The Vikings (13-3) spread out 10 hits among eight batters with Ryan Javech and Jeff Paulson each with two hits to lead North Park. Starting pitcher Steve Kuligowski also went 7 1/3 innings and struck out six to raise his record to 5-1. Alex Silverthorne pitched the final 1 2/3 innings for his first save.
North Park scored a run each in the first, fifth and seventh innings for a 3-0 lead on the Pioneers. UW-Platteville got on the scoreboard in the eighth. Cody Luther was hit by a pitch to start the inning, he advanced to second on a wild pitch by Kuligowski. The Pioneers put runners on the corners when Ney singled. Then, Zach Demmon drove in Luther from third on a sacrifice fly. After Topher Scheeler singled and pinch hitter Bobby Patton walked to load the bases, Silverthorne kept the Pioneers off the scoreboard with a double play to end the inning.
The Pioneers will now face the rigors of the WIAC when they travel to UW-La Crosse on Saturday and Sunday for a doubleheader each day. First pitch each day is scheduled for noon.
