Box Score - Game 1
Box Score - Game 2
The Augustana baseball team beat Upper Iowa 6-1 in the first game of a doubleheader against Upper Iowa and then dropped the second game 16-6 to split with the Peacocks Wednesday in Fayette, Iowa.
With the split, Augustana moves to 23-21 overall and 13-14 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, while Upper Iowa sits at 22-22 overall and 16-11 in the NSIC.
The Vikings remain in eight place in the NSIC standings, with the top six teams to make the conference tournament. Concordia University, St. Paul is 13-12 in the NSIC and will play a doubleheader tomorrow against Minnesota State.
Game 1
Behind a dominant performance on the mound from Tyler Pierson the Vikings were able put together six runs on 10 hits to take the first game.
Pierson (5-6) pitched a complete game for the first time this season, while giving up five hits and striking out five of 19 batters faced.
The Peacocks scored its only run of the game in the bottom of the third when Kreston Albright reached on an error with two outs and scored on a triple from Brad Hasenkamp in the next at bat.
The Vikings answered quickly in its next at bat as Nate Baumann drew a two out walk and advanced to second on a Charlie Dubanoski single. Ian Strum then scored Baumann on a single up the middle to tie the game at 1-1.
Augie then took the lead in the fifth when the Peacocks starting pitcher hit three straight batters to load the bases, before Tom Hill scored Gates Cook from third on a sacrifice fly to center. Jeff Green then singled to put the Vikings up 3-1.
The runs kept coming for Augie in the sixth, as the Vikings put together three consecutive singles to score JaColby Anderson on a Drew Heithoff hit. Hill then doubled to score the final runs of the game and cap off a 2-for-3 performance.
He also had three RBI in the game and Heithoff went 2-for-3 with a RBI and a run scored, while Andy Ahrendt went 1-for-2 with two runs scored.
Game 2
The Augie pitching staff was roughed up for 16 runs on 15 hits, as the Vikings offense got things going early, but could not keep up with the Peacock attack.
Augie started the game with two runs in the first when Heithoff singled to lead the game off and scored on Baumann's team-leading 12th home run of the season.
The Peacocks countered with a run in the bottom half of the inning and the Vikings kept the two run lead going as Strum led off the second with a single and stole second, before scoring later on a wild pitch from third base.
Then in the third, the Peacocks went on a tear, scoring four runs in the inning and followed it with 11 more runs in the next three innings to take a commanding lead16-6 heading into the seventh.
Anderson scored on a sacrifice fly in the fourth and scored Green on a single in the fifth, before Strum drove in the final Viking run of the day on a single.
Kenny Lidke had a rough outing on the mound, giving up seven earned runs on eight hits in 3 1/3 innings. Four more Augie pitchers were used in the game.
Offensively, Strum went 3-for-4 with a RBI and run scored, while Cook also went 3-for-4. Baumann finished 1-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored.
The Vikings will now play Northern State in a four game series this weekend to close out the regular season. The first doubleheader is set for Saturday at 2 p.m. at Ronken Field, with the second twin bill to start at noon on Sunday.
