Augustana University Athletics

BOX SCORE 1 | BOX SCORE 2
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - Jenelle Trautmann delivered an RBI double in the bottom of the seventh inning to lift No. 5 Augustana College softball to a 6-5 win over Missouri Southern State University (8-17) on Friday afternoon. The Vikings then used a five-run fourth inning to earn a 5-4 win over Central Missouri (12-10) to improve to 15-2 on the season.
 
Game one
Knotted at 5-5 in the bottom of the seventh inning, Trautmann stepped to the plate with runners on the corners and delivered the game-winning hit to give Augustana its second walk-off win of the season.
 
Trautmann finished the game going 3 for 4 at the plate with a career-high three doubles and earned her 10th win of the season in the circle tossing three innings and allowing just one hit while striking out four batters.
 
Freshman Sarah Kennedy had a season-high four hits for the Vikings going 4 for 4 with four singles. This marked the sixth multiple-hit game by the freshman this season.
 
The Vikings jumped out to an early 2-0 lead scoring two runs on three hits in the bottom of the first inning. Lindsay Spanton delivered a big two RBI single with two outs in the inning to give her team the early lead.
 
Missouri Southern got one back in the top of the second plating an unearned run to make it a 2-1 game. Caitlin Nichol gave Augustana a 3-1 lead after leading off the third inning with a ground-rule double and eventually coming around to score on after Kennedy singled and was caught in a rundown between first and second base.
 
The Lions took their only lead of the game in the top of the fourth inning when Chloe Brown hit a grand slam home run after a hit batter and two straight singles to start the inning to give her team a 5-4 lead.
 
But the Vikings wasted no time in evening things up at 5-5 in the bottom half of the inning as Jordan Schaffer hit a ground-rule double to right field with one out to score Erin Kempf who led off the inning with a walk and moved up to second on a sacrifice bunt by Carly Peterson.
 
Trautmann gave up a one-out hit in the fifth before setting down the Lions in order in the sixth and seventh innings to set up her game-winning double in the last half of the seventh inning.
 
Game two
Augustana scored five runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to down Central Missouri on Friday afternoon. Central Missouri's Jakki Prater had a monster day for the Jennies going 3 for 3 with a double and two home runs driving in all four of her team's runs.
 
Trautmann had another multiple-hit game for the Vikings, cracking two more doubles and Peterson finished 2 for 3 with an RBI and a run scored. Kempf was 1 for 3 with two RBI and a double against UCM.
 
Trautmann posted her 11th win in the circle in game two, tosing four strong innings striking out seven batters. Carley Pickett slammed the door shut in the seventh inning to earn her fourth save of the season. 
 
Prater started the Jennies off on the right foot drilling a two-run home run in the top of the first to give her team a 2-0 lead. She added to the lead with a solo shot in the top of the third inning to put UCM in front 3-0.
 
After getting a leadoff hit in the second and third innings and being held off the scoreboard, Augustana went off for five runs on five hits and one error in the bottom of the fourth inning to take a 5-3 lead.
 
Kennedy started the rally with a one out triple but on the very next at bat she was thrown out at the plate trying to score on a ground ball to first base by Trautmann. Trautmann reached on the fielder's choice and the Vikings would strike for five with two outs.
 
Spanton was hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second and Kempf delivered a two-RBI double to left field to bring the Vikings within one at 3-2. Peterson followed with an RBI single and Maddie Merriam and Schaffer each drove in a run with the bases loaded to give Augustana a 5-3 lead.
 
Prater struck again in the top of the seventh inning with  a two-out RBI double to make it a 5-4 game but Pickett would strand her on second getting a strikeout and a 2-3 putout for the final out of the game.
 
Augustana has now won 10 straight games and will take on 12th-ranked Emporia State before playing tournament-host Missouri Western State. Game times have been pushed back one hour due to low temperatures forecast for tomorrow. Augustana and Emporia State will now play at 11 a.m. and the Vikings and Griffons will square-off at 1:30 p.m.