OMAHA, Neb. - The No. 3 Augustana baseball team moved to 32-2 (18-2 NSIC) on the season after its bullpen shutdown the Mustangs of SMSU (9-17, 4-12 NSIC) to earn a midweek sweep. The Vikings took game one, 4-2, and won game two, 5-0, to add to its school record shutout total and make it 10 shutouts on the year.

The Viking bullpen during the two games went 8.1 innings allowing six hits and three walks while striking out 13 and allowing no runs. Augustana used a total of nine pitchers in the two games.

GAME ONE: Augustana 4, SMSU 2
Augustana took game one against SMSU, 4-2, behind timely hitting and a solid bullpen effort to move to 31-2 (17-2 NSIC) on the season. Clay Collison (2-0) picked up the win in his third start of the season after going 4.2 innings allowing two runs on three hits with one walk and five strikeouts.

The Vikings got on the board first with a Sam Baier two-run home run. Baier's seventh home run of the year came in the third inning. In the fourth, Trent Herman would extend the Viking lead with a RBI single to score Ryan Nickel. SMSU would get a pair of runs on Collison in the fourth. Through four innings the Vikings led the Mustangs, 3-2.

In the fifth, the Vikings tacked on another run on a Nickel RBI, bunt single to score Riley Johnson. Johnson and Baier executed a double steal to get into scoring position. That would do it for the scoring as the Vikings bullpen would shutdown the Mustangs and secure the win. Derek Dahlke went one inning allowing one hit and getting one strikeout and Michael Brandt picked up his sixth save of the year, picking up four outs, all of the strikeout variety.

The Viking offense tallied eight hits in game one led by two hits appiece from Baier and Nickel. Baier had the two-run home run and added a stolen base. Nickel and Herman had the other two RBI for the Vikings. Johnson had one hit with two walks, two runs scored and a stolen base.

GAME TWO: Augustana 5, SMSU 0
The Vikings completed the two game sweep behind their 10th shutout of the season. The Vikings defeated the Mustangs in game two, 5-0, in which the Vikings used seven pitchers to complete the shutout.

Jed Schmidt got the start for the Vikings at threw 50 pitches in three inning of work, allowing two hits and one walk with three strikeouts. Dalton Allen (4-0) got the win for the Vikings after being the fourth relief arm out of the bullpen. Allen went 2.1 innings allowing two hits and two walks with two strikeouts. Derek Dahlke, Tyler Mitzel, Austin Orvis, Tanner Brown and Zach Reeg all saw action out of the bullpen in the game two shutout.

Augustana struck first with a run in the first inning. Riley Johnson led the game off with a double and Jordan Barth would lace a two-out, RBI single to score Johnson. The Vikings would add another run in the fourth when Ryan Nickel scored on a Mustang error, making it 2-0 Augustana.

The Vikings added a run in the sixth and two runs in the seventh for insurance. In the sixth, Lucas Barry knocked in Barth on a sacrifice fly. In the seventh, Carter Wevik scored on a passed ball and Sam Baier drove in Johnson with a RBI single.

Offensively, Barth and Lucas Wylie each had two hits and Barth added to his team leading RBI total with a RBI in the first to move his total to 41 on the year. Eight out of the nine Viking starters had at least one hit in game two.

The Vikings will travel to Duluth, Minn. to take Minnesota Duluth in a four-game series. The Vikings and Bulldogs will play doubleheaders on Sunday and Monday, April 22-23.