GAME 2 BOX (continued from Friday)
GAME 1 BOX (Saturday)
GAME 2 BOX (Saturday)
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -
Jake Kurth's walk-off bunt single scored the go-ahead run and lifted Augustana to a 10-9 victory over No. 14 St. Cloud State in the final contest of a four-game series between the two programs Saturday afternoon in Sioux Falls, S.D. SCSU won the game prior 5-3 and was victorious 6-2 in the continuation of a game suspended Friday night and finished Saturday.
Augustana moves to 23-17 (15-9 NSIC); SCSU is now 28-8 (16-6 NSIC).
The Vikings won the opening game of the series 9-0 Friday afternoon.
Kurth laid down a text-book bunt down the third-base line to score
Brendan Phillips from third and neutralize a 9-9 tie.
It was the second hit of the game for Kurth, who finished 2 for 4 with two RBIs.
Charlie Dubanoski, who hit a grand slam in the opening inning, went 2 for 4 with five RBIs.
Nate Baumann also drove in a pair of runs.
Bret Severtson (1-3) nearly had a record-breaking eighth save of the season but instead walked away with his first win of 2011, throwing 2.1 innings and striking out three.
Bennett Johnson also tossed 6.0 innings, and
Kenny Lidke and
Sam Gotham each threw 0.1.
The Vikings quickly found themselves leading 4-0 after one inning when Dubanoski's grand slam ushered in scoring for the contest.
SCSU answered with four runs of its own in the top of the second, but yet another four-run effort from the Vikings in the bottom of the frame again put them ahead. Singles from Baumann,
Drew Heithoff,
Deryk Marks and Kurth and doubles from
Nate Hewes and Dubanoski accounted for the runs.
The Vikings had built a 9-5 advantage heading into the seventh, but the Huskies managed four runs on two hits and a pair of Augustana errors in the inning to tie the game at 9-9.
Augustana got rid of the tie score in the final inning on Kurth's game-winning bunt. With one out,
Gates Cook smashed a double to center field and was replaced on base by Phillips. The new runner advanced to third on a wild pitch, and, after a defensive timeout by SCSU, he crossed home plate on a perfectly executed suicide squeeze.
Jordan Smith (0-1) took the loss for SCSU, working the final 2.1 innings and allowing one run on two hits. The Huskies used for pitchers in the loss.
The Vikings fell 5-3 in the first game of the doubleheader. Despite holding a 2-0 lead, Augustana allowed SCSU to score five the game's final six runs. The Huskies moved ahead decisively with a three-run fourth inning.
Marks recorded two RBIs on a 1-for-3 outing for Augustana.
Derek Hansen (4-2) went 3.1 innings and allowed three earned runs in the loss.
Zach Weinandt finished the last 3.2 innings and didn't allow a run.
Ryne Schwenke (1-0) notched the win for SCSU.
To start the day, Augustana and SCSU picked up a game that was suspended after six innings on Friday night due to darkness. The Huskies collected a 6-2 win.
Marks and Dubanoski each had an RBI in the Viking loss, while
Brian Voigt (1-2) took the loss.
Augustana hosts Concordia University, St. Paul on Tuesday at 1:30 p.m.
