Storylines• No. 11 Augustana softball (18-5, 1-1 NSIC) opens the home portion of its 2014 schedule this weekend with a four-game homestand.
• Game times have been pushed back both Saturday and Sunday after the recent snowfall in Sioux Falls on Thursday. • The Vikings welcome MSU Moorhead (5-6, 1-1 NSIC) for a doubleheader beginning at 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 29.
• Northern State (8-10, 1-1 NSIC) comes into town for a 1 p.m. twinbill on Sunday.
National news• After being ranked fifth for three straight weeks, Augustana dropped to 11th in the latest National Fastpitch Coaches' Association Top 25 poll that was released on Wednesday.
• The Vikings were ranked 22nd in the NFCA preseason poll.
• Augustana jumped by going 4-1 in its opening weekend, including a win over then No. 1 ranked and defending national champion Central Oklahoma.
• The Vikings are 3-1 against ranked opponents this season.
• The complete list of the NFCA Preseason rankings can be found on page 3.
Last time out• Augustana split a doubleheader at Wayne State on Wednesday afternoon winning the opener 2-0 before falling 2-1 in the nightcap.
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Jordan Schaffer belted a two-run home run in the top of the fifth inning to give the Vikings a game one win.
• Locked into a pitchers' duel through four innings,
Erin Kempf led off the fifth with a double and two batters later was driven home on Schaffer's fifth home run of the season.
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Jenelle Trautmann earned the win in the circle for the Vikings and
Carley Pickett slammed the door for her fifth save of the season.
• Much of the same in game two for both teams as they combined for 13 hits and played four more innings of scoreless softball.
• Wayne State broke through with a run in the bottom of the fifth but the Vikings responded with one of their own when
Mackenzie Alstott scored on a wild pitch in the top of the sixth.
• After a leadoff walk to start the bottom of the seventh, Wayne State's Kaiti Williams drove in the game-winning run with a walk-off single to give her team a 2-1 win.
About MSU Moorhead• MSU Moorhead enters the weekend at 5-6 on the season, including 1-1 in conference play after splitting a doubleheader with Northern State on Wednesday.
• The Dragons enter the weekend batting .205 as a team, having scored 2.3 runs per game.
• Lauren Meeker leads the Dragons batting .304 on the season with seven hits, including two doubles.
• Morgan Nybo has appeared in eight games in the circle and owns a 3-3 record with a 2.88 ERA.
• Kelsey Fehl is in her third season as the head coach at MSU Moorhead.
About Northern State• Northern State owns an 8-10 record on the season, including 1-1 in conference play after splitting a doubleheader with MSU Moorhead on Wednesday.
• The Wolves will play a doubleheader at Wayne State on Saturday before making the trip to Sioux Falls.
• Northern State is batting .253 as a team and has scored 65 runs on the season.
• The Wolves are led offensively by Rachel Albright, who is batting .408 with a team-high 20 hits, three home runs and 12 RBI.
• Kami Smesmo leads the NSU pitching staff with a 1.84 ERA and a 6-3 record.
• Smesmo has struck out 40 batters in 57.0 innings of work and tossed seven complete games in 10 appearances.
• Northern State is led by former Viking and 2006 graduate Kristi Villar.
• Villar was named the NCC Freshman of the Year in 2003 and twice was named all-region during her playing career at Augustana.
• Villar is in her fourth season as the head coach at Northern State.
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