SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The Augustana baseball team saw its 2015 season come to a close in a 10-5 loss to No. 1 seed St. Cloud in the NSIC/US Bank Tournament Championship on Saturday at Karras Park Home of Ronken Field. The No. 3 seed Vikings finished the year at 37-17, while the Huskies move on the NCAA Central Region Tournament with a record of 51-3.

Augustana's 37 wins this season marks the third straight season that head coach Tim Huber's teams have won at least 37 games, the best three-year stretch in program history.

Patrick Fiala went 1-for-4 at the plate, the lone hit being a grand slam to left field in the bottom of the eighth, upping his season total to 11 on the year, third most on the roster.

Patrick O'Donnell was the lone Viking with multiple hits, going 3-for-4 with run scored in the final game of the year.

Michael Letkewicz (1-5) picked up the loss in the game, going 2.2 innings and giving up five runs as the starter on the mound.

Alex Fink, named to the All-NSIC Tournament Team, went 1-for-4.

The Vikings were unable to hold off SCSU from getting on the board early, with them scoring one run in the top of the first inning on a Karl Sorensen single to center field that scored Zach Hoffman.

Augustana did tie things up at 1-1 during its turn at the plate in the second off a weird play. Alex Beals crossed home plate from third after Lucas Barry struck out swinging but was out on the putout from recently named NSIC Player of the Year Michael Jurgella to Hoffman at first base.

St. Cloud State made its move in the top of the third, getting four runs to push its lead to 5-1. A Zak Hoffman two-run bomb to left center highlight the big inning at the plate for the Huskies.

Hoffman struck again for SCSU at the plate in the top half of the fifth, crushing another two-run shot to left center to make it 7-1.

A three-run inning in the eighth for St. Cloud State made it 10-1. The Huskies got their three runs on two hits, with Hoffmann's two-RBI single through the right side being the defining play.

The Vikings refused to go quietly in this game, scoring four runs in the bottom half of the eighth to put themselves back in the game at 10-5. Fiala's grand slam capped off the explosive inning at the plate, keeping the Augustana rally alive.

Colton Vien, in a relief appearance, shut down SCSU in the top of the ninth by striking out the side in order.

Down to their final three outs, the Vikings fought hard to give themselves a chance late, loading the bases with two outs after a walk to Kris Ashland, and back-to-back singles by Marcus O'Neill and O'Donnell, giving senior Jack Goihl the opportunity to drive in multiple runs to keep the season going. Goihl, though, knocked a 1-2 pitch high up into right field that was caught and brought the game to a close.

Augustana returns to the diamond next spring.