BOX SCORE

LAS VEGAS – Jenelle Trautmann struck out seven batters and held No. 3 Dixie State to just one run on six hits as No. 14 Augustana College softball defeated the Red Storm 2-1 at the Desert Stinger on Friday. The Vikings improved to 2-0 on the season with the win while Dixie State fell to 4-3.
 
Trautmann held the Red Storm off the board until the top of the seventh inning while finishing with the complete game victory. Dixie State finished with five hits on the day while the Vikings picked up four, including two from Sarah Kennedy.  
 
The Vikings opened the scoring in the game in the bottom of the second inning when Caitlin Nichol picked up an RBI on a bases-loaded walk to put Augustana in front 1-0.
 
After the offense put a run on the board, Trautmann would allow just two hits in the next four innings and the Vikings carried the one-run lead into the sixth.
 
Carley Pickett led-off the sixth inning with a walk and eventually came around to score after a one-out single by Karlee Koopman. Koopman singled and got in a run down between first and second base and Picket alertly rounded the bases and scored on the play to put the Vikings up 2-0.
 
Dixie State got on the board in the top of the seventh inning after Janessa Bassett and Nicole Chavez delivered back-to-back hits to put runners on first and third with one out. Courtney Hine then delivered a sacrifice fly to left field to score Bassett and make the score 2-1 before Trautmann struck out her seventh batter of the game to give the Vikings their second win of the day.
 
With the win, Augustana head coach Gretta Melsted improved to 299-149 at Augustana, putting her one shy of 300 wins as the Vikings' head coach. Melsted is now 380-240 in her career, putting her 20 wins shy of 400 for her career.
 
Augustana returns to action at the Desert Stinger with three games on Saturday. The Vikings start the day against tournament-host Montana State-Billings at 1:30 p.m. (CT) before taking on Western Oregon at 4 p.m. (CT) and Humboldt State at 9 p.m. (CT).