Augie-MSU Box Score
Augie-WSC Box Score
The Augustana softball team likely had its season come to an end with a 1-1 finish at the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Softball Tournament in Marshall, Minn., Saturday. The Vikings won a 1-0 8-inning thriller over Minnesota State University, Mankato, before falling 5-1 to Wayne State in an elimination game. The Vikings finished fourth in the tournament with a 2-2 record.
The Vikings now have a 31-23 record, including a 30-12 mark after opening the season 1-11. After finishing second in the NSIC regular season, Augie will now wait and see if they will be selected for the NCAA Regional Tournament. The Vikings were not ranked among the top 8 teams in this week's regional rankings.
Augustana's
Chelsey Durland and MSU's Kendra Huettl locked horns in a pitcher's duel in the opening game of the day. Neither team had good scoring chances until the bottom of the fourth when Augustana loaded the bases with 1 out. However,
Kelsey Kalkman struck out and Durland flied out to end the threat.
Minnesota State had a chance to score in the seventh after Kelsey Thompson singled and Libbie Reichling doubled to put runners at second and third with 1 out. However, Julie O'Neal lined a grounder to Augie shortstop
Ally Rutherford who threw home to get pinch runner Amity Livingston. Chelsea Erickson then grounded out to end the inning.
Augustana nearly won the game in the bottom of the seventh. With runners on first and second and 2 outs,
Erika Wolner singled to center.
Brittany Lipetzky, who was pinch running for Durland was thrown out at the plate, sending the game to extra innings.
In the bottom of the eighth, Rutherford led off the inning with a single, followed by a double by
Traci Fransen.
Britt Stewart was intentionally walked to load the bases.
Erin Bohlmann grounded to second to retire Rutherford at home. However Kalkman lined a grounder to Reichling at shortstop. However, Reichling's throw home was not in time and Fransen scored the game-winning run.
Durland improved to 10-8 as she scattered 5 hits and struck out 3. Wolner, Fransen and
Kayla Henke each had 2 hits for the Vikings.
Wayne State jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning of the second game. Brittany Greenwood lined a 2-out single to give the Wildcats the advantage.
WSC added 2 more runs in the fourth inning on a 2-run homer by Alyssa Kirsch to make the score 4-0. Wolner got one of the runs back with a solo homer in the bottom of the fourth.
But that would not be enough to beat WSC starting pitcher Katie Goetzinger, who held the Vikings to just 2 hits in 5 innings of work.
Stewart, meanwhile, was tagged with the loss after surrendering 4 runs, 3 of which were earned, on 6 hits in 3.1 innings. Durland relieved her in the fourth and allowed 6 hits and 1 run in 3.2 innings.
