SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Senior third baseman Caitlin Nichol hit three home runs to lead No. 18 Augustana softball to a doubleheader sweep over Upper Iowa University on Tuesday afternoon at Bowden Field. Nichol led off with a home run in an 8-0 five-inning win in game one and hit a two-run shot and another solo shot in a 6-4 win in game two.
 
Augustana improved to 27-5 on the season with the sweep, including 8-0 in NSIC play while Upper Iowa dropped to 8-19, 3-3 NSIC. The Vikings have won 10 straight games since March 22.
 
Jenelle Trautmann hit a three-run home run during a six-run first inning in game one for her 15th home run of the season. Trautmann has now hit 70 home runs in her career, making her the fourth non-Division I player in NCAA history to hit 70-plus home runs. Trautmann ranks third all-time in Division II and is just nine shy of the all-time record. She also ranks 16th all-time in NCAA history across all divisions.
 
Game one
The Vikings got off to a fast start in the opener scoring six runs in the bottom of the first inning and Carly Peterson drove in two runs in the bottom of the fifth to send Augustana to an 8-0 five-inning win over Upper Iowa. Peterson was 2 for 3 with two RBI in the game.  
 
Caitlin Nichol led off the game with a home run and finished 1 for 3. Carley Pickett finished 2 for 3 with two singles and a run scored.
 
Trautmann was 1 for 3 with a three-run home run and earned the complete-game victory allowing just two hits and striking out 10 batters in five innings of work. Trautmann improved to 16-1 in the circle with the victory.
 
The Vikings jumped out to a huge lead in the bottom of the first inning going for six runs on eight hits. Nichol opened the scoring with a solo shot over the right field fence for her sixth home run of the season to give Augustana a quick 1-0 lead.
 
The Vikings wasted no time as Pickett and Sarah Kennedy followed with a single and a double to put two runners on for the dangerous Trautmann. Trautmann did what she does best and belted a three-run shot to right field for her 15th home run of the season that put Augustana in front 4-0.
 
Carly Peterson, Karlee Koopman and Maddie Merriam kept the inning going with three straight one-out singles and Kylie Rome drove in two more with a bloop single to right field to give Augustana a 6-0 lead. 
 
After giving up two hits in the first inning of the game, Trautmann held Upper Iowa hitless over the next four, striking out eight batters over the final four innings.
 
The Vikings were also held hitless in the second, third and fourth innings but were able to push two more across in the bottom of the fifth on a two-RBI single by Peterson to win by run-rule 8-0 in the opener.
 
Game two
Augustana grabbed an early lead for the second straight game but spread its runs out in the nightcap scoring six runs in six innings in a 6-4 win.
 
Nichol had herself a day in game two going 3 for 3 with two home runs for her first multi-home run game in a Viking uniform. She drove in three runs and scored four, accounting for over half of the team's runs in the game. Nichol has now hit eight home runs on the year for the Vikings.
 
Pickett and Kennedy each went 2 for 4 in game two. Pickett picked up her second double of the season and earned her sixth victory of the season improving to 7-3. Pickett struck out two and allowed just five hits and one unearned run in the victory.
 
Pickett worked her way out of a jam in the top of the first getting a ground ball out with the bases loaded to end an early threat by Upper Iowa. She then helped her own cause driving in the game's first run with an RBI double to left center to put her team up 1-0 in the first.
 
She stranded two more runners in the second and Nichol delivered her first home run of game two, a two-run shot to right center to put the Vikings up 3-0.
 
Nichol then led off the fourth with a solo shot to left field to make the score 4-0 before Upper Iowa was able to plate a run in the top of the fifth on an RBI triple by Jacqueline Flood to make the score 4-1.
 
Nichol walked on a seven-pitch at-bat to lead off the sixth and came around to score the fifth run of the game on an error when Trautmann reached on a fielder's choice. Jordan Schaffer made the score 6-1 on a sacrifice fly to right field to score Kennedy and the Vikings carried a five-run lead into the top of the seventh.
 
Karlee Koopman came in to pitch the seventh for the Vikings and the Peacocks were able to get two singles to set up Erica Kirgan with two on and one out and she belted a three-run shot over the fence in left field to make the score 6-4 with two outs. She fanned the final batter of the game and the Vikings would win their 10th straight game.
 
Augustana will hit the road for a pair of doubleheaders later this week. Augustana will take on Northern State on Friday at 1 p.m. in Aberdeen, S.D., before traveling to Moorhead, Minn. to take on MSU Moorhead at 12 p.m. on Saturday.