Augustana University Athletics

BOX SCORE 1 | BOX SCORE 2 GAME 1 BOX | GAME 2 BOX

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – No. 5 Augustana College softball picked up two close wins on Tuesday afternoon at the Rebel Spring Games to earn its seventh and eighth straight wins. The Vikings (13-2) opened the day with a 3-2 win over the University of Indianapolis (5-5) before knocking off Ohio Dominican University (3-12) 3-1 later in the day.
 
Game one
Maddie Merriam drilled an RBI double off the left center field wall in the bottom of the fourth inning to drive in what would end up being the game-deciding run. With a 2-1 lead, a runner on second and two outs, Merriam sent a 2-2 pitch off the fence in left center to score Erin Kempf and give Augustana a 3-1 lead.
 
Indianapolis made it a 3-2 game in the top of the fifth inning when Sydney Russell came around to score after two illegal pitch calls on Viking pitcher Carley Pickett. Russell led off the inning with a single and moved to second on an illegal pitch call. Russell moved to third on a groundout and eventually came in to score on another illegal pitch to make it a one-run game.
 
Pickett got the final out of the inning and worked three strong to earn her third save of the season allowing just two hits. Jenelle Trautmann (9-1) earned her ninth win of the season tossing 4.0 innings and giving up just two hits while striking out five.
 
Indianapolis took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning scoring on a bases loaded walk with two outs. Trautmann got the final batter to line out to first base to end the threat and leave the bases full.
 
Augustana struck for two runs on two hits in the bottom of the third inning to take its first lead of the day at 2-1. Caitlin Nichol started the rally with a one-out single. Mackenzie Alstott then lit the fire with a double down the left field line that looked like it could have been a triple or more but the ball went through the temporary fencing and she was stuck to a ground-rule double and Nichol had to stay at third.
 
Nichol eventually scored on a passed ball and Alstott crossed the plate on a throwing error by the Indianapolis trying to throw out Sarah Kennedy who stole second.
 
Trautmann set the Greyhounds down in order with two strikeouts in the fourth setting the stage for the big double by Merriam in the fourth.
 
Game two
Augustana pounded out 12 hits against Ohio Dominican with four Vikings recording multiple hits. Alstott was 3 for 4 with a run scored while Caitlin Nichol, Kennedy and Emily Heinz each had two hits.
 
Karlee Koopman earned the win in the circle for Augustana to improve to 2-1 on the season. Koopman replaced Pickett in the game and tossed 4.0 innings while allowing five hits and just one run.
 
Augustana grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning on an RBI double by Emily Heinz. After a 1-2-3 bottom of the second the Vikings pushed their lead to 3-0 scoring two runs on four hits.
 
Nichol, Alstott and Kennedy hit three straight singles to start the inning and Trautmann delivered the two RBI single through the left side of the infield to give her team a three-run cushion.
 
Ohio Dominican got back-to-back hits, including a double and a single in the bottom of the fourth to score their lone run of the game and make the score 3-1.
 
Each teams pitcher took over in the final three innings each giving up a hit per inning but nothing more.
 
Augustana will conclude its eight-game trip tomorrow with two more games. The Vikings take on Lees-McRae at 12 p.m. CT before closing-out the trip against LIU-Post at 2 p.m. CT. Live stats for both games can be found HERE.