GAME ONE BOX  |  GAME TWO BOX

RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – The Augustana baseball team dropped both games (17-0, 4-3) to Arkansas Tech on Sunday at Tech Field. The losses kept the Vikings winless on the year at 0-6, while the Wonder Boys improved to 10-9.

Game One

ATU used a 10-run second inning to pull away early in a 17-0 shutout victory of Augustana.

The Vikings' four hits tied a season low in the loss.

TJ Davis was the lone Augustana player with multiple hits, going 2 for 2 at the plate.

Colton Vien (0-1) picked up the loss in his first start of the season. Vien gave up nine runs in 1.2 innings on the day.

For a second straight game in the series, the Wonder Boys were able to get off to a quick start in the bottom of the first, scoring the game's first run on two-out RBI single that snuck through the right side by Patrick Castleberry.

With two outs in the bottom half of the second inning, ATU really did its damage in the ball game, his second hit of the inning and third RBI of the contest.

The stat of the inning, and game, was that Arkansas Tech went 8 for 9 hitting with two outs at the plate during the breakout inning.

 The Vikings left two runners on after back-to-back hit by Davis and Alex Fink with two away gave them their best opportunity to get some momentum going in the game. Augustana couldn't capitalize on it, ending the inning with a fly out to right field the very next batter to remain scoreless on day.

 The Wonder Boys added one more run in the bottom of the fifth inning to extend their lead to 12-0.

A Cole Fergus three-run home run in the bottom half of the sixth upped the ATU lead to 17 and capped off a five-run at the plate for the team.

Augustana never came close to scoring the rest of the way as Arkansas Tech got the win.

Game Two

Some seventh-inning magic by the Vikings couldn't overcome a strong pitching performance by The Wonder Boys' Aaron Johnson in a 4-3 loss.

Augustana finished the game with three runs on four hits, three coming in the top of the seventh inning.

Jack Goihl and Kris Ashland each homered for the first time this season with back-to-back bombs late in the game.

Colton Fast (0-1), making his first collegiate start, was credited with the loss. Fast's line on the day: 4.2 innings pitched, two earned runs on four hits, two strikeouts and five walks.

ATU's Johnson (1-1) got the win after going six innings, giving up two runs on three hits.

Kris Ayers led Arkansas Tech with two RBI in the game.

Keenan Jumper added two hits for the Wonder Boys.

Castleberry again got ATU on the scoreboard in the bottom of the first inning with a two-out single to right center that scored the runner from third base after a fielding error by Lucas Wilber to make it 1-0.

Arkansas Tech threatened again in the bottom half of the second, getting runners on first and second with one out. But some good pitching by Fast resulted in the Wonder Boys' Rafiel Johnson hitting into a 6-4-3 inning-ending double play to get Augustana out of danger and keep it at a one-run game.

A second straight 1-2-3 inning for the Vikings at the plate in the third kept them from building on the momentum gained from the double-play ball an inning earlier on defense, and upped ATU's Johnson's total to six straight batters retired.

A single by Goihl to open up the top of the fifth inning effectively ended Johnson's bid for the no-hitter and gave Augustana some hope. But a 1-6-3 ground-ball double play by Kris Ashland a batter later brought a stop the Vikings' attack. Alex Beals immediately followed with a ground out to third base to end the inning.

Arkansas Tech added two runs in the bottom half of the fifth with a bases-clearing double from Ayers, his fourth of the year, to make it a three-run game.

Back-to-back walks to Justin Warne and Zach Dibble with one out in the top of the sixth inning gave Augustana a chance to cut into Wonder Boys' lead. The Vikings though couldn't take advantage though, immediately striking out and flying out to left field to end the inning.

Goihl snapped Augustana's cold streak at the plate with a crucial two-run blast to in the top of the seventh to make it a two-run game, marking the first time this year that the senior has gone yard.

One batter later, Ashland hit a solo blast over left center to bring the Vikings to within one with one out. The home run by the Bloomington, Minn. native was the first of his collegiate career.

Augustana wouldn't get any closer than that, with its next two hitters getting out to end the game.