Augustana University Athletics

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

 ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – No. 5 Augustana College softball blasted a season-high three home runs outlasting Pittsburg State (Kan.) 11-7 in its first game of the day at the Missouri Western Tournament. The Vikings (17-4) closed-out the six-game trip with a 6-2 win over Washburn later in the day.
 
Game one
Augustana came out on top in the slugfest with Pittsburg State behind three-run home runs from Emily Heinz and Jordan Schaffer. Sarah Kennedy picked up her second career home run with a solo shot in the top of the sixth inning.
 
The Vikings finished the game with 13 hits with four players delivering multiple-hit games. Lindsay Spanton led the Vikings with three hits in the game going 3 for 3 at the dish with two RBI. Caitlin Nichol was 2 for 4 with a run scored and an RBI and Erin Kempf (2 for 4, one RBI) and Heinz (2 for 4, three RBI) each had two hits in the game.
 
Carley Pickett tossed four innings in relief and earned her third win of the season to move to 3-1. Pickett allowed two runs, one earned, over four innings and struck out three batters. Jenelle Trautmann made the start going three innings and allowing five runs.
 
The Vikings wasted no time on the day going in front 3-0 in the top of the first inning after a two-RBI single by Spanton and an RBI double by Kempf.
 
Nichol started the rally getting hit by a pitch to leadoff then game followed by a Mackenzie Alstott single. Spanton came to the plate with runners on second and third after Kennedy grounded out and Trautmann struck out, Spanton delivered the two RBI single and later came into score on Kempf's double.
 
Pittsburg State got a leadoff home run in the bottom of the second inning to make the score 3-1 and the Vikings answered with three of their own in the top of the third to extend their lead to 6-1.
 
With one out in the inning, Trautmann singled but was thrown out at second trying to extend the play. Spanton and Kempf followed suit with back-to-back two-out singles setting the table for Heinz who blasted her first home run of the season (sixth career), a three-run shot, to put the Vikings in front by five.
 
Pittsburg put up two more runs in the bottom half of the third inning getting a two-out two-RBI double by McKenzie Rynard to bring the Gorillas within three at 6-3. Pittsburg State staved-off a one out single in the top of the fourth and then was able to tie the game at 6-6 in the bottom half of the inning scoring three runs on four hits and one Augustana error.
 
Jordan Schaffer came up with yet another well-timed home run for the Vikings, this time a three-run shot that broke a 6-6 tie and gave Augustana a 9-6 lead. Trautmann walked to lead off the inning and Spanton followed with a single before being erased at second when Kempf reached on a fielder's choice. After Heinz struck out, Schaffer stepped to the plate with runners on first and third and delivered yet another big two-out hit for the Vikings sending her fourth home run of the season over the fence.
 
Pittsburg got another run in the bottom of the fifth to make the score 9-7 and the Vikings added insurance runs in the sixth and seventh innings to earn the 11-7 victory. In the sixth, Kennedy belted a solo home run with two outs in the inning and Nichol drove in a run in the top of the seventh giving Augustana a four-run cushion.
 
Pickett set Pittsburg State down in order in the bottom of the seventh to help the Vikings stop a two-game skid.
 
Game two

Augustana jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning and piled on four more runs over the final three innings to down Washburn 6-2 on Sunday afternoon. Alstott and Schaffer each delivered two hits in the game for the Vikings.
 
Pickett earned her second win of the day and fourth of the season giving up just one run in four innings of work while striking out two.
 
The Vikings plated two unearned runs in the bottom of the first inning to take a 2-0 lead. The Ichabods scored a run in the top of the third and fourth innings to tie the game a 2-2 and the Vikings escaped further damage by leaving the bases loaded in the top of the fourth.
 
With one out and runners on second and third in the bottom of the fourth, Nichol delivered a sacrifice fly to give the Vikings a 3-2 lead and Alstott drove in Maddie Merriam with an RBI single to push the lead to 4-2.
 
Pickett worked around two hits in the fifth inning before setting Washburn down in order in the sixth and seventh innings and the Vikings added a run in the fifth and sixth.
 
Schaffer drove in a run with a single in the fifth inning and Trautmann picked up a sacrifice fly in the sixth to help the Vikings gain a 6-2 lead.
 
Augustana will now turn its attention to conference play as the Vikings will begin NSIC competition on Wednesday, March 26, with a doubleheader at Wayne State. First pitch in game one is set for 2 p.m. The two teams were schedule to play on Tuesday but moved to Wednesday due to the weather forecast.