ST. CLOUD, Minn. – Augustana University softball split an NSIC doubleheader at St. Cloud State (23-24, 9-13) on Saturday afternoon. The Vikings won the opener 9-2 before seeing their 14-game win streak snapped in a 10-5 loss in game two. Augustana is now 31-12 on the season, including 18-3 in NSIC play.
 
Game one
Augustana racked-up 15 hits, with five players picking up two or more apiece, in a 9-2 win in the opener at St. Cloud State.
 
Carly Peterson and Sarah Kennedy each had three hits for Augustana in game one. Peterson was 3 for 4 with a double and Kennedy was 3 for 4 with a double and a home run to go along with two RBI. Maggie Kadrlik was 2 for 4 at the plate and Maddie Merriam finished 2 for 4 with a three-run home run.
 
Pickett (19-6) earned her 19th win of the season for the Vikings earning the complete-game victory. Pickett allowed just two runs on seven hits while striking out four.
 
Augustana scored three runs in the first two innings to jump out to an early lead. Kennedy drove in the game's first run in the top of the first after following a pair of singles by Peterson and Pickett with one of her own. Pickett scored on an error following Kennedy's RBI single that scored Peterson to give Augustana a 2-0 lead.
 
The Vikings got a leadoff single in the second but after a double play were down to their last out in the inning. Abby Chandler kept the inning alive with a single through the right side of the infield and three pitches later, Peterson doubled to the gap in right center to drive in Chandler and give the Vikings a 3-0 lead.
 
The Huskies were able to turn a leadoff double into a run in the second to make the score 3-1 but Augustana answered with two in the fifth to extend its lead to 5-1. Kennedy led off the fifth with a solo shot, her seventh of the season, to make it a 4-1 game and with two outs in the inning Kadrlik scored on a wild pitch to give her team a four-run lead at 5-1.
 
A solo home run by the Huskies in the bottom of the fifth made the score 5-2 but the Vikings were able to answer with four in the top of the seventh to go in front 9-2.
 
Augustana did all of its damage in the seventh with two outs in the inning. Merriam delivered the big blast with a three-run home run to left field, her fourth long ball of the season, which extended Augustana's lead to 8-2.
 
Morgan Beaner singled after the Merriam home run and moved up to second on a fielding error that allowed Kylie Rome to drive her in with a single up the middle to push Augustana's lead to 9-2.
 
Pickett set the Huskies down in order in seventh to secure Augustana's 14th straight win.
 
Game two
St. Cloud State finished with 15 hits and used a five-run second inning to snap Augustana's 14-game win streak with a 10-5 win over the Vikings in the nightcap.
 
Augustana mustered eight hits in game two, getting six alone from Sarah Kennedy and Shannon Petersen. Kennedy was 3 for 4 with two RBI while Petersen finished 3 for 4 with a home run and three RBI.
 
Karlee Koopman was tagged with the loss allowing five runs, all earned, on six hits in 1.2 innings of work.
 
Augustana gained a 2-0 lead right out of the gate in the top of the first. Kennedy drove in the game's first run with an RBI single that scored Carly Peterson who led off the game with a walk. Two batters later, Petersen drove in Kennedy with a single to put the Vikings up two.
 
The Huskies were able to string together five hits in the bottom of the second to score five runs to gain a 5-2 lead.
 
Petersen cut the lead to one in the top of the third hitting her 10th home run of the season, a two-run shot, that made the score 5-4.
 
The Vikings tied the game at 5-5 in the top of the fourth getting an RBI single from Kennedy with two outs. SCSU regained the lead in the bottom of the fourth scoring three runs on five hits to go in front 8-5.
 
Augustana left two runners on in the fifth and another in the sixth before the Huskies added two more in the sixth to extend their lead to 10-5, which would be enough to hand Augustana its first loss since March 29.
 
Augustana returns to action on Sunday with a doubleheader at Minnesota Duluth. First pitch of the twinbill is set for 12 p.m.