SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Augustana baseball scored 30 runs in a doubleheader sweep of Minot State on Sunday afternoon at Karras Park Home of Ronken Field. The Vikings won the opener 14-6 before defeating the Beavers 16-1 in seven innings in the nightcap.
 
The Vikings matched their season-high with 18 hits in game two and finished the day with five home runs. With the sweep on Sunday, Augustana took all four games of the series with Minot State to improve to 13-7 on the season, including 4-0 in NSIC play. Minot State drops to 4-17 on the year, including 1-8 in the NSIC.
 
Game one
Augustana overcame an early three-run deficit to defeat Minot State 14-6 in the first game of today's doubleheader. The Vikings scored nine runs in the first three innings and used a four-run sixth to take game one on Sunday.
 
Patrick O'Donnell led the Vikings at the plate going 4 for 5 with a double and three RBI. Tyler Field was 2 for 3 with three runs scored and Lucas Barry pitched in with two hits finishing 2 for 4 with an RBI and three runs scored.
 
Ryne Lees earned the win for the Vikings on the bump tossing five innings. Lees struck out three and improved to 4-1 on the season.
 
Minot State opened up the scoring in the game taking a 3-0 lead in the top of the first on a three-run home run by Celestino Rodriguez.
 
The Vikings started chipping away at the lead right away in the home half of the first scoring two runs on three hits and an error to get within one at 3-2.
 
Augustana then tied the game right away in the second after Field singled and stole second before coming around to score on an RBI single by Michael Graff to make it 3-3. O'Donnell gave the Vikings a 4-3 lead win an RBI single with one out in the second. Later in the inning, Patrick Fiala drove in the third run of the inning on a sacrifice fly to put Augustana in front by two at 5-3.
 
Minot State's Rodriguez hit his second home run of the game with one out in the third to get his team back within one at 5-4 but the Vikings answered with a four-run bottom of the third to push their lead up to five at 9-4.
 
Minot State continued to claw back scoring two runs in the fourth to cut Augustana's lead to three at 9-6 but the Vikings were able to pull away late.
 
Augustana went ahead 10-6 scoring an unearned run in the fifth and put up four more in the bottom of the sixth to stretch the lead to 14-6. Kris Ashland delivered the big blow getting a pinch-hit three-run home run in the sixth to break the game open.
 
Tyler Vaughn was called on to work the seventh for the Vikings and pitched around a one-out double to seal the game one win for the Vikings.
 
Game two
It was all Augustana in the nightcap as the Vikings matched their season-highs for hits and runs in a 16-1 win in game two.
 
O'Donnell's hot back carried over into game two as he finished 4 for 4 with a home run and two RBI. Alex Fink was 2 for 4 with two doubles and two RBI and Patrick Fiala was 3 for 3 with a home run and four RBI.
 
Tyler Field was also 2 for 2 with two home runs and five RBI. Justin Warne was 2 for 4 with a double and three runs scored out of the leadoff spot for the Vikings.
 
Colton Vien picked up his first win of the season on the hill for the Vikings tossing six innigns while allowing just one run on five hits.
 
Augustana jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first after Warne led off the game with a double and came around to score the game's first run swiping home on a first and third situation. Fiala then drove in O'Donnell who singled earlier in the inning to make it a 2-0 game.
 
Warne and O'Donnell got things going again for the Vikings in the bottom of the third. Warne singled to lead off the inning and O'Donnell blasted a two-run home run to left center to make it 4-0. Later in the third, Alex Beals drove in a run win an RBI single to give Augustana a five-run lead.
 
Field's three-run home run highlighted a five-run fourth inning and Fiala's three-run homer in the bottom of the fifth helped the Vikings score 11 runs over two innings to take a 16-0 lead over the Beavers.
 
Minot State got a leadoff solo home run in the sixth but the damage had been done as the Vikings took the final game of the series by run rule in seven innings.
 
Augustana will return to action Wednesday, April 6, taking on U-Mary in a doubleheader at Karras Park Home of Ronken Field. First pitch between the Vikings and Marauders is set for 3 p.m.