SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - The Augustana baseball team improved to 28-15 and 22-6 in the NSIC after picking up a Saturday sweep over Concordia-St. Paul. The Vikings got a big 15-3 win in game one and used some timely hitting in game two to earn an 11-7 victory.

Game One
Augustana's offensive showed up early against Concordia-St. Paul (18-19, 12-13 NSIC) on Saturday. After Riley Johnson led off the game with a single and Sam Baier followed up with a double it was clear the bats were ready. Kris Ashland returned to his power form with a 2-run blast in the first that also scored Baier. Johnson was thrown out at home on Baier's double but the Vikings still had a 2-0 heading into the bottom of the first.

The Golden Bears cut the Vikings lead in half with an unearned run in the first but the Vikings got back to work in the second.After Jacob James picked up a double, Baier homered to left making it 4-1 Augustana. A few batters later Ashland scored O'Donnell on a sac fly to make it 5-1. The Vikings final run of the inning came on a double from Lucas Barry that scored Tyler Field.

Jacob Blank's streak for consecutive innings without allowing an earned run came in the third when back-to-back two-out hits scored two runs to put the Golden Bears behind by just three. Those would be the final runs for CSP as Blank regained his top tier form.

Baier continued to swing the bat will in the fourth with another double that scored James. O'Donnell doubled as well to score both Johnson and Baier. The Vikings final run of the inning came on a Field home run to left that made it 11-3 Augustana.

Augustana went on to score two runs in the fifth, and one in both the sixth and the seventh to take game one of the series 15-3.

Pitchers of Record
Win - Jacob Blank (9-0): 6 IP, 5 hits, 3 runs, 2 earned runs, 4 strikeouts, 2 walks
Loss - Gus Varland (5-3): 3 IP, 10 hits, 6 runs, 6 earned runs, 1 strikeout, 0 walks

Viking Notables
• Augustana improved to 19-4 all-time against CSP
• The Vikings recorded 20 hits as a team, the most in a single game since picking up 21 hits on April 29, 2016, against Upper Iowa
• Augustana's 15 runs are the second most the team has scored this season
• Blank sets an Augustana record for wins in a season with nine
• Blank's consecutive innings without allowing an earned run came to an end in the third inning. Blank went 46 straight innings this season without allowing an earned run
• Blank allowed a hit in the second inning. He had gone 8.2 straight innings without allowing a hit
• The Vikings hit eight doubles as a team: Baier (2), O'Donnell (2), Barry, Alex Beals, Ryan Menssen and James
• Ashland hit his team leading 12th home run of the season
• Ashland led the team with three RBIs
• Augustana left eight runners on base
• This was the third time this season that the Vikings made four errors in a game
 

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Game Two
Augustana starter Dalton Lehnen dazzled on the mound once again, but his first win of the season still eludes the junior. Lehnen had his stuff working in game two, throwing six innings of one-run ball. He gave up just six hits while striking out eight and surrendering just two walks. It looked like the junior would earn his first win with a 7-1 lead into the eighth, but a six-run inning from CSP closed the door on the victory for Lehnen.

The Vikings failed to get on the scoreboard in the first inning of game two, but they did score the game's first run in the second inning. Just like in game one it was Ashland that produced the first runs of the game with a home run. Ashland crushed a 2-2 pitch to left to give the Vikings a 1-0 advantage early in the contest.

The Vikings doubled their lead in the third inning when Baier singled to right field scoring Barry who led off the inning with a single to right. CSP cut the lead in half in the bottom of the inning with a run on a single of their own.

Neither team was able to score again until the sixth when Ford Schroeder hit a two-run home run to left to give the Vikings a 4-1 lead. Augustana made it 5-1 in the seventh when James singled up the middle to score Beals.

In the top of the eighth inning, the Vikings took a 7-1 lead on a Barry double that scored Menssen and Ashland. But in the bottom half of the inning, the Vikings struggled. The Vikings bullpen gave up six runs on six hits, one was a three-run home run, that allowed the Golden Bears to tie the game at seven and put a scare into the Vikings.

In the final frame, Johnson stepped up in a big way with a leadoff double down the left field line. He later advanced to third on a wild pitch. After Ashland was intentionally walked with first base open and two outs, Johnson again capitalized in a big moment, scoring on a wild pitch that gave the Vikings an 8-7 lead. Augustana added some insurance runs later in the inning when Menssen hit a three-run home run to make it 11-7 Augustana.

After CSP got a double to lead off the bottom of the ninth Collin Lovell got a strikeout and a double play to end the game and seal the victory for the Vikings in game two.

Pitcher of Record
Win - Collin Lovell (2-0): 2 IP, 5 hits, 1 earned run, 4 strikeouts, 0 walks
Loss - Jake Kounkel (1-1): 1 IP, 2 hits, 4 earned runs, 1 strikeout, 2 walks

Viking Notables
• Augustana improved to 20-4 all-time against CSP
• The Vikings have won six straight games, their longest streak of the season
• Augustana has won nine of their last 10 games
• Augustana has scored double-digit runs in consecutive games for the fourth time this season
• Ashland hit his second home run of the day and his team-best 13th of the season
• Schroeder hit his first career home run
• Menssen hit his second home run of the season
• The Vikings left five runners on base

Up Next
Augustana and Concordia-St. Paul will complete their four-game series tomorrow afternoon. Their doubleheader will begin at noon.