SIOUX FALLS – The Augustana softball team moved to 6-0 in Northern Sun play on Friday with a sweep of the defending national champion, and No. 13 ranked Minnesota State, walking off with a 5-4 win in the opener, and then hanging on for an 8-6 win in the nightcap.
 
The Vikings sixth straight win, all in conference play moves them to 24-6 on the season, while the Mavericks fall to 22-8 overall, and to an even 3-3 in conference play.
 
A Kaylea Schorr RBI single in the bottom of the first inning of Game 1 represented the only Augustana run over the first four frames, which saw the Vikings fall into a 4-1 hole.
 
That all changed in the fifth, when Maggie Kadrlik knotted the game at 4-all with a three-run blast over the fence in left center field.
 
Still tied 4-4 in the bottom of the seventh, Kadrlik drew a two-out walk to get things going. Shannon Petersen followed suit with a walk of her own, setting the stage for Schorr, who singled home Kadrlik for the game-ending run.
 
Ashley Mickschl went the distance for the Vikings in the circle, giving up four runs, two earned, on 11 hits, with four each in walks and strikeouts. She improves to 9-3 with the win.
 
The Mavericks struck first again in the second game of the day, plating one run in the top of the second for a 1-0 lead, but that didn't last long, as the Vikings bounced back with seven runs on seven hits in the bottom half of the inning.
 
Both Maggie Dunnett and Kara McDougall hit RBI singles in the inning and Abbie Lund smacked a two-RBI double before Petersen capped the rally with a three-run homer to left to give Augie a 7-1 lead.
 
Minnesota State chipped away at the lead with two runs in the fourth and three more in the sixth, but the Vikings scored an insurance run in the sixth on a Morgan Beaner solo shot to right field for an 8-6 lead.
 
Mickschl took care of the rest, shutting down the Mavericks in the bottom of the seventh to preserve the win, and earn her first-career save. She pitched 1.2 innings of one-hit ball in relief, striking out three and walking one.
 
Lexy Pederson got the win to improve to 9-0 on the season. She gave up one run on four hits over three innings, striking out three with no walks.
 
Sitting along atop the conference standings, the Vikings look to keep it going on Tuesday, when they travel to Fayette, Iowa, to take on Upper Iowa in a doubleheader at 2 p.m.