CROOKSTON, Minn. – No. 12 Augustana softball combined for 25 hits, including six home runs, in a doubleheader sweep over Minnesota Crookston (4-30, 0-16 NSIC) on Saturday afternoon. The Vikings (35-5, 16-0 NSIC) won both games in five innings, taking the opener 14-2 before winning game two 8-0.
 
With the sweep over the Golden Eagles, the Vikings improved their win streak to 18 games, and remained unbeaten in NSIC play.
 
Game one
Augustana matched its season-high with 14 runs in game one this afternoon. The Vikings also hit a season-high five home runs in the contest, led by Sarah Kennedy who finished 3 for 4 with two home runs and a career-high tying four RBI.
 
Jenelle Trautmann also had three hits for the Vikings in the opener, finishing 3 for 4 with a double, a home run and three RBI. Trautmann's home run is the 16th of the season for the senior and the 71st of her career. Trautmann is just four home runs shy of tying for second all-time in Division II history and eight shy of the NCAA Division II career home run record.
 
Caitlin Nichol and Jordan Schaffer both added two hits for the Vikings on the afternoon. Nichol finished 2 for 4 with a home run, two RBI and three runs scored. Schaffer was 2 for 4 with her fifth home run of the season, a three-run shot.
 
Trautmann improved to 21-1 on the season in the circle striking out six batters in four innings of work. She allowed just five hits in the game and surrendered just two runs.
 
Nichol got things going quickly for the Vikings with a leadoff home run in the top of the first inning, her 11th deep fly of the season.  Carley Pickett then singled and Kennedy belted her first home run of the game, a two-run shot that put Augustana in front 3-0.
 
Nichol drove in the game's fourth run in the top of the second on a ground out to second base that scored Karlee Koopman who walked to lead off the inning.
 
Minnesota Crookston got on the board in the bottom of the second on a RBI single by Gabriel Antolak that made the score 4-1.
 
Augustana answered right back in the top of the third inning getting back-to-back home runs from Kennedy and Trautmann that put the Vikings up by five at 6-1. Carly Peterson put Augustana up 7-1 later in the third inning stealing home on a double steal to give her team a six-run advantage.
 
Minnesota Crookston's Allison Foley hit a one-out solo home run in the bottom of the third that made the score 7-2 but the Vikings responded with four runs in the fourth and three more in the fifth for a 14-2 advantage. Schaffer hit a three-run home run in the fourth inning and Trautmann delivered a two-RBI double in the fifth to help the Vikings build a double-digit advantage.
 
Game two
Augustana took a 2-0 lead out of the first inning after Kennedy hit her third home run of the day, a two-run shot that gave her team an early two-run lead in the nightcap. Kennedy finished game two 3 for 4 with a home run and four RBI while extending her hitting streak to 21 games. Kennedy has a hit in 39 of 40 games this season for the Vikings.
 
Nichol finished 2 for 3 with two doubles, two runs scored and two RBI. Maddie Merriam finished 2 for 3 with two singles and a run scored.
 
The Vikings were held to just one single in the second and third innings before striking for four runs on five hits in the top of the fourth to jump in front 6-0. All four runs in the fourth inning were scored with two outs after Maddie Merriam and Kylie Rome each reached with back-to-back two-out singles.
 
Nichol drove in the first run of the innings with an RBI double to left center before Carley Pickett drove in two more with a two-RBI double to left field.
 
The Golden Eagles put together a threat in the bottom of the fourth but would end up leaving the bases loaded.
 
Augustana added two runs in the sixth on an RBI double by Nichol and an RBI single by Kennedy to put the Vikings up by eight and set the mercy rule into affect if the Vikings were able to hold the Golden Eagles in the sixth. Koopman set the Golden Eagles down in order in the sixth and the Vikings earned their 18th straight win.
 
Augustana returns to action tomorrow afternoon taking on Bemidji State in a doubleheader beginning at 12 p.m.