BOX SCORE KISSIMMEE, Fla. –
Jenny Brown knocked in
Brittany Coufal in the bottom of the ninth inning to give Augustana a 5-4 victory over Illinois-Springfield. The Vikings improve to 9-4 on the season.
Neither team was able to score in the first two innings, but Brown knocked in the first of her two runs batted in with a single to left field. Brown wasn't on the basepaths for long, though;
Jenelle Trautmann belted a home run to center field on the second pitch of her at bat.
Trautmann now had a 3-0 lead to help her in the circle and she continued to frustrate the Prairie Stars. The sophomore ace scattered six hits through the first five innings, but Illinois-Springfield tightened the game up in the sixth.
After giving up a single and a walk, Sam Inman knocked in both runners with a single to left field. A sacrifice moved Inman to second and Jordyn Amos plated her with a drive to left field, tying the game at 3-3.
Neither team was able to score in the next two innings so they were headed for extra innings. Inman was placed on second due to the international tiebreaker and she scored one batter later on a single to left field. Trautmann closed out the eighth to leave the Vikings with a chance to respond, down 4-3.
Cassandra Kranz pinch ran for
Lindsay Spanton and was placed at asecond.
Jordan Schaffer sacrificed Kranz to third. On the next pitch, Kranz scored on a passed ball to tie the game at 4-4, but Augustana couldn't push another runner across so the game was extended another inning.
Trautmann sat down three consecutive UIS batters in the top of the ninth to set up the Vikings to win in the bottom half. Coufal was placed at second and
Carly Peterson moved her to third with a sacrifice.
Theresa McMahon was walked to give the Vikings runners on the corners with Brown headed to the plate.
Brown pushed the ball to second base who muffed it, but Coufal was already on her way to the plate for the win.
Trautmann threw eight innings and racked up eight strikeouts while giving up just five hits. Trautmann helped her own cause with a 3-for-4 performance at the plate and a pair of RBI. Brown matched Trautmann with two runs batted in as she extended her hitting streak to 13 games.
The Vikings close out the Rebel Spring Games with a doubleheader tomorrow. Augustana will face Ashland at 8 a.m. before a rematch with Northwood (MI) at 10 a.m.
