MANKATO, Minn. – No. 7 seed Augustana University softball (39-15) fought off elimination in the Central Region 2 Tournament with a 6-1 over No. 6 seed Pittsburg State (Kan.) on Friday afternoon in Mankato, Minnesota.
 
The Vikings scored early and scored in four of the first five innings, including two-run innings in the third and fourth, to put the pressure on Pittsburg State. The Gorillas finish their season at 42-19.
 
Augustana finished the game with 10 hits, getting two apiece from Kaylea Schorr, Christina Pickett, Abby Chandler and Maggie Dunnett.
 
Oliva Wolters tossed a strong game for the Vikings earning her 18th win of the season holding Pittsburg State to one run on seven hits. Wolters struck out seven batters and stranded 10 runners on base in the game.
 
Kaylea Schorr singled to lead off the bottom of the first inning and after some heads up base running, she came around to score the game's first run giving the Vikings a 1-0 lead. With one out in the inning, Christina Pickett flew out deep to left field and after rounding second base, Schorr returned to first forcing a throw that went past the fielder and into the Pittsburg State dugout allowing her to move up to first base.
 
Two pitches later, Petersen took the second pitch she saw sharply back up the middle to give Augustana an early lead.
 
Pittsburg State loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the third inning and was able to tie the game at 1-1 when Nicole Nease walked in a run. Wolters got out of the inning without any further damage and the Viking offense got right to work in the bottom of the third.
 
Kennedy a two-out rally with her 30th double of the season and Christina Pickett jumped on the first pitch she saw cracking a double down the left field line to drive in Kennedy and put the Vikings in front 2-1. The inning appeared to be over when Petersen popped the ball up in the  middle of the infield but two PSU players collided and the ball fell to the ground allowing Pickett to score from second giving Augustana a 3-1 lead.
 
Augustana added two more runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to extend its lead to 5-1. Abby Chandler started the inning with a single to right before moving up to second on a groundout by Kara McDougall. Maggie Dunnett then singled and alertly moved up to second to put runners on second and third with one out. Samantha Eisenreich grounded out to second to drive in Chandler and Schorr picked up her second hit of the game to drive in Dunnett putt the Vikings in front by four.
 
The Vikings continued to put the Gorillas away getting a two-out run in the bottom of the fifth to their lead to 6-1. Pickett led off the inning with a single and moved up to second on an illegal pitch. Pickett advanced to third on a ground out by Kylie Rome and Chandler beat out an infield single, for her second hit of the game, driving in Pickett putting the Vikings up five in the fifth.
 
Pittsburg State left four runners on base in the final two innings as Wolters was able to bend but not break with a strong defense behind her.
 
Augustana returns to action in another elimination game taking on No. 3 seed Central Oklahoma at 4 p.m. in Mankato.