WINONA, Minn. – Augustana University softball was swept in a doubleheader at Winona State University on Thursday afternoon. The Warriors (32-14, 14-9 NSIC) scored 10 runs in the bottom of the third inning in an 11-1 win in game one before shutting out the Vikings (31-16, 18-7 NSIC) 3-0 in game two.
 
Augustana is currently ranked seventh in the NCAA Central Region rankings. Winona State was ranked ninth in the most recent central region poll.
 
Game one
Winona State scored 10 runs in the bottom of the third inning to defeat the Vikings 11-1 in five innings in the first game of today's doubleheader. The Warriors took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first but the Vikings were able to tie things up in the third before giving up 10 runs in the home-half of the inning.
 
Augustana was held to just two hits in the opener, getting two from Maggie Kadrlik, including an RBI single that scored Augustana's only run of the game. Kylie Rome and Abby Chandler each picked up a hit for the Vikings.
 
Winona State's Hanna Lythberg earned the win to improve to 16-8 after striking out five batters while allowing just one unearned run on four hits.
 
The Warriors struck first plating a run in the bottom of the first when Lani Van Zyl walked with the bases loaded to give her team a 1-0 lead. Carley Pickett was able to get out of the jam getting a strikeout to end the inning and leave the bases loaded.
 
Both teams went three up and three down in the second and the Vikings were able to tie the game in the top of the third scoring a run on two hits and one WSU error. Rome led off the inning with a single and eventually came around to score to tie the game at 1-1 on an infield RBI single by Kadrlik with the bases loaded. Lythberg left the bases full of Vikings getting a strikeout to end Augustana's threat.
 
After three straight singles to start the bottom of the third, Winona State got a two-RBI single from McKenna Larsen to take a 3-1 lead and the inning would continue to get worse for the Vikings. Van Zyl reached on an error and another run scored and then Pickett hit two straight batters with the bases loaded to allow two more runs to score. Later in the inning, Jamee Schleis hit a grand slam to give the Warriors an 11-1 lead.
 
Augustana picked up a two-out hit in the both the top of the fourth and fifth innings but it would not be enough as the big third inning led the Warriors over the Vikings in the opener.
 
Game two
The Vikings put together six hits in game two but were unable to turn them into any runs as the Warriors swept the doubleheader with a 3-0 win in the nightcap.
 
Kaylea Schorr led the Vikings with two hits in game two. Karlee Koopman was tagged with the loss after allowing three runs, one earned, on six hits. Koopman struck out three on the afternoon.
 
Shannon Petersen picked up a single with one out in the second inning but the Vikings were unable to move her into scoring position. The Warriors answered in the bottom of the second scoring all three of their runs on four hits and an error.
 
Allyson O'Herron drove in a pair of runs with a single up the middle and Reed Karsten made it 3-0 with an RBI single with two outs in the inning.
 
Koopman shut the Warriors down the rest of the way but the Vikings were unable to get much going offensively. Augustana left two runners on in the top of the seventh inning after getting back-to-back singles from Schorr and Merriam with one out in the inning. Samantha Eisenreich pinch-ran for Merriam and the Vikings were able to get runners on second and third after a passed ball but McKenna Larsen was able to get Abby Chandler to ground out to end the threat and the game.
 
Augustana returns home this weekend to close-out the regular season. The Vikings will host Concordia-St. Paul at 12 p.m. on Saturday and Minnesota State at 12 p.m. on Sunday.