BOX SCORE

LAS VEGAS – No. 19 Humboldt State scored seven runs in the first two innings and used the fast start to defeat No. 14 Augustana College softball 9-2 on Saturday night at the Desert Stinger. The Vikings finish the five-game trip with a 3-2 record. Humboldt State improved to 3-3 with the win.
 
Humboldt State racked up 13 hits and nine runs, including seven in the first two innings. Augustana finished the game with eight hits, including a 3 for 4 performance by Caitlin Nichol. Sarah Kennedy was 1 for 4 with an RBI, Jenelle Trautmann finished 1 for 3 with one RBI and Maddie Merriam was 1 for 3 with a double in the game.   
 
The Jacks scored four runs in the first inning on three hits to grab an early 4-0 lead. Humboldt State started the inning off with two straight hits before a sacrifice fly brought in the first run. Later in the inning, Alison McKibbon delivered a two-RBI single to push the third and fourth runs across the plate in the first.
 
Augustana went down in order in the bottom of the first and Humboldt State built a seven-run lead scoring three runs on three hits in the top of the second. Dani Randall came up with a two-RBI double that put the Jacks up 7-0.
 
Augustana got a leadoff single in the bottom of the second inning but ended up leaving two runners on base in the inning. The Vikings were able to break through in the bottom of the third with two runs on four hits to cut the Jacks' lead to five at 7-2. Kennedy delivered an RBI single to score Nichol who got on base with a one-out single. One batter later, Trautmann drove in a run with a sacrifice fly to make the score 7-2.
 
Humboldt State added a run in the top of the fourth and another in the top of the seventh to account for the final score of 9-2.
 
The Vikings left eight runners on base in the contest. Carley Pickett allowed four runs on three hits and was tagged with the loss. Trautmann pitched 6.2 innings in relief and allowed five runs on 10 hits while striking out five batters.
 
Augustana returns to action next weekend at the Huskydome Classic in St. Cloud, Minn. The Vikings open the five-game trip against Central Missouri on Friday, Feb. 20 at 5 p.m.