Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score
NSIC Tournament Bracket
The Augustana softball split a doubleheader against Concordia Sunday in St. Paul, Minn. The Vikings won the opener 4-3 and lost the second game 7-2.
With a conference record of 23-3, Augustana claimed the NSIC regular season title. The title is the first for the Vikings in their two seasons of NSIC play.
The Vikings secured the title with their victory in Sunday's opener, but Concordia made Augustana work for the victory. Concordia posted a 3-0 lead in the second inning and held Augie scoreless on three hits through five innings.
However, as they had done the previous day, the Viking hitters came through in the clutch. Following an
Elizabeth Murray single, conference and national player of the week
Traci Fransen belted a two-run home run to shave the deficit to 3-2.
Brittany Coufal doubled to score
Kelsey Kalkman to tie the game 3-3.
In the seventh,
Britt Stewart led off the inning with a solo home run, and the Viking defense held on in the bottom of the inning to keep Concordia off the board and secure the 4-3 win.
Chelsey Durland came in in relief in the third inning to pick up the win (8-4). She scattered four hits while striking out three.
In the nightcap, Concordia opened the scoring again in the second inning, hitting four home runs, including three consecutive, to post a 6-0 lead. The Golden Bears added another run in the third for a 7-0 lead.
Augustana was able to cut into the lead in the fourth, when
Kayla Henke and
Jenny Brown scored after Murray reached on an error. However, the Vikings could only muster two more hits in the game and came up on the short end of the 7-2 final.
Mickey Anderson picked up her first loss (4-1) of the year, starting 4 2/3 innings.
As the winner of the NSIC, Augustana will host the NSIC softball tournament, held May 7-8 at Bowden Field and Sherman Park in Sioux Falls. Top-seeded Augustana will face No. 8 Southwest Minnesota State on Friday at noon at Bowden Field.
