GAME ONE BOX  |  GAME TWO BOX

RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – The Augustana baseball team dropped both games (8-6, 9-1) of a doubleheader against Arkansas Tech on Saturday. The Vikings' record fell to 0-4 while the Wonder Boys jumped to 8-9 on the year.

Game One

Augustana team couldn't overcome rough start in an 8-6 loss to Arkansas Tech in game one of a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon.

Jack Goihl picked up his first RBI of the year as part of a 1-for-4 day at the plate.

Kris Ashland and Josh Benson each picked up two hits in the loss for Augustana. Benson also recorded his first RBI of the year with a single to center field in the top of the fourth inning.

Ryan Hamilton (0-1) recorded his first loss of the year. The sophomore right-hander shook off a tough start that saw him give up five earned runs through the first three innings. Hamilton finished his day going 6.2 innings, with six earned runs on five hits.

The Vikings did get their bats going, finishing with 14 hits, the first time this year they have recorded double digits.

Hamilton got off to a strong start by retiring side in the bottom of the first, capping it off by picking up his first strike out of the afternoon after getting ATU's Kris Ayers to go down swinging.

Arkansas Tech pushed two across to break open a scoreless game in the bottom of the second inning after getting its first two batters of the inning on due to getting walks. The Wonder Boys were able to score thanks to a throwing error by Hamilton that scored Patrick Castleberry from second after he advanced to third to beat out the fielder's choice. Keenan Jumper drove in Bryan Heyward one batter later to make it 2-0.

Castleberry made it a four-run game after a big blast in the bottom half of the third inning with two outs. The home run was his team-leading fifth on the season and the first that Augustana has given up this year.

The Wonders Boys would tack on two more runs to close out the bottom of the third up 6-0.

Benson got the Vikings on the board with a two-out single to center field in the top of the fourth inning that scored Alex Fink from second base – also giving Augustana its first run of the season.

The Vikings failed to capitalize on a bases-loaded situation two batters later after Marcus O'Neill hit into an inning-ending fielder's choice to stop the Augustana scoring outbreak.

The hot swinging continued in the top of the fifth after Goihl drove in Jacob James – who started the inning getting hit by a pitch to get on base -- from second base with an one-out single to left center to cut the ATU lead to four.

A two-out RBI single by O'Neill in the left side made it a three-run game in the top half of the sixth inning, and gave the Vikings their third straight inning of scoring a run.

A two-out, two-run bomb by Castleberry -- his second of the day -- gave Arkansas Tech an 8-3 lead, its biggest, in the bottom of the seventh.

Augustana, though, would make it a two-run game in the top of the eighth with three runs. The explosive inning was capped off by a sac fly to left field to score O'Neill.

The Vikings had a chance in the top of the ninth after Ashland walked to get a runner one with one out, but couldn't do anything after back-to-back outs brought the game to a close.

Game Two

Some timely hitting proved to be too much for the Vikings in a 9-1 loss in game two of the doubleheader.

Goihl was the lone Augustana player with two hits.

Patrick Fiala finished 1 for 2 with the lone RBI in the game for Augustana.

Tyler Field (0-1) picked up the loss in his first start of the season. Field gave up three runs in one inning on the bump.

The Wonder Boys again got off to a quick start thanks to Castleberry smacking his third home run of the day, a three-run blast, in the bottom of the first to give them a 3-0 lead.

A promising start to the top of the second inning resulted in nothing for Augustana, who saw its first two batters get on but couldn't bring them in.

Some very solid pitching by Lincoln Voss kept the Vikings in it early. The sophomore gave up just one hit in his first three innings of work after coming in the second to relieve Field.

Despite the solid pitching from Voss, Augustana's bats went cold in the middle innings and couldn't generate some key scoring opportunities.

ATU made its move in the bottom half of the fifth, scoring five runs in back-to-back at bats. First, a Castleberry single with two outs drove in another two runs to extend the lead to five. Heyward immediately followed with a three-run home run to make it 8-0.

Three straight hits by the Vikings resulted in them putting a run on the scoreboard in the top of the sixth inning. O'Neill and James each led off with singles and Fiala brought in O'Neill with his single – his first hit of the game.

A single by Marcus Wilson in the bottom of the sixth drove in another run for Arkansas Tech to make it 9-1.

Augustana wouldn't challenge in their last chance in the top of the seventh, giving the Wonder Boys the win.

The Vikings return to the diamond for the final two games of the four-game series with the Wonder Boys beginning at 11 a.m.