dupagehounds.com

The Hounds’ woes against the Vikings continued on Wednesday, as Southland capitalized on DuPage mistakes to win 4-2 against the Forest Walls of Flossmoor.

The Vikings improve to 4-1 against the MCL-leading Hounds this season, clinching at least a share of the season series. Two more scheduled games remain with a makeup of the June 21^st rainout to be determined.

Southland (12-8) struck first by scoring twice in the 2^nd inning. With runners on second and third, Tyler Hasper was wild with a pitch, allowing one run to score. Just as wild was catcher Brian Lees’s throw back to Hasper, which squirted away and allowed a second run to score.

DuPage County (17-6) tied the game in the top of the 3^rd on Lees’s sacrifice fly and Drew LaComb’s RBI single. The Vikings wouldn’t stay even for long as Stefano Belmonte’s RBI groundout in the bottom of the 3^rd put the home team up 3-2.

The Hounds would get just three more runners to second base in their last six innings. Southland starter Evan Wietfeldt tossed 6.2 innings of two-run, eight-hit ball. Mike Poules came on to finish the 7^th and 8^th innings, and Anthony Spangler nailed down the save by striking out back-to-back Hounds to end the game.

Nick Alfini relieved Hasper with no outs in the third and tossed 5.1 innings of one-run relief. His lone run against came in the 8^th on doubles by Kendall King and Jerry Houston.

The Hounds have lost three of their last four games, their second such stretch of the 2014 season. After three days off for the Fourth of July holiday, DuPage County is back in action Sunday afternoon for a doubleheader with the Snipes in Lexington.