BOX SCORE | PHOTO GALLERY\
POSTGAME INTEVIEWS: TAYLOR KAPSCH | KELSEY KALKMAN | ELIZABETH MURRAY
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – No. 16 Augustana clinched a berth to the national tournament with a 10-2 victory in five innings over Concordia University, St. Paul in Game 2 of the super regional on Saturday. Augustana won Game 1 on Friday 9-3.
The last time Augustana was at the national tournament was 1998.
Augustana improves to 53-10, while CU finishes its season at 33-23.
Head coach
Gretta Melsted reached a milestone of 300 career wins with the victory.
Offensively,
Taylor Kapsch was 2 for 2 with a home run and
Elizabeth Murray was 2 for 2 with a walk and an RBI.
Kelsey Kalkman finished the game with a 2 for 4 performance that included a home run and an RBI.
Jenelle Trautmann started the game for Augustana and threw 4.0 innings and allowed six hits and two runs. She also had three strikeouts. Durland threw the fifth inning and had a strikeout.
Ashley Kluever started the game for CU from the circle and threw 3.1 innings with four walks, six hits and eight runs allowed. Ashley Kappes threw the final 1.2 innings and gave up two runs (one earned) on three hits.
Augustana gave up two quick runs in the first on four CU singles, but were able to put some offense together in the third
after Kapsch smacked a 3-2 pitch over the right-center fence.
CU threatened again in the bottom of the third after putting runners on second and third with no outs, but Trautmann put together a strikeout and ground out before Winskowski ranged far to her left to track down a deep fly ball.
The Vikings continued to hit Kluever in the third when Kalkman led off with a hard shot over the right field wall to tie the game at two.
Matley Jones was hit by a pitch in the next at-bat and moved to second on a bunt single by
Chelsi Winskowski before Kapsch was hit by a pitch to load the bases.
Theresa McMahon then delivered with a hard single through the left side that scored Kalkman and Winskowski. With runners on second and third and one out, Murray hit a ground ball past a diving shortstop to push Kapsch home.
The inning continued after Trautmann was intentionally walked to re-load the bases and Spanton earned a walk to force McMahon home. Kalkman singled into center field for her second hit of the inning that scored Murray and Jones hit a sacrifice fly into right that scored Trautmann and moved Spanton to third. Winskowski then reached first on an error as Spanton came home to put Augustana up 9-2.
The Vikings pushed the lead to eight in the fifth after Murray was hit by a pitch with one out and came around to score on Spanton's double into right field.
Augustana will play the winner of the Super Regional series between West Virginia Wesleyan and Kutztown at the national tournament in Louisville, Ken. on May 16. Live stats for that Super Regional are available
here.
