DULUTH, Minn. - The No. 3 Augustana baseball team (34-2, 20-2 NSIC) are making shutouts look easy. On Sunday in Duluth, Minn. the Vikings shutout the Bulldogs of Minnesota Duluth (15-18, 11-10 NSIC) twice en route to their 11th and 12th shutouts of the season. The Vikings have now won 10 straight games and have a double digit winning streak for the third time this season.

The Vikings were also stellar on offense scoring 18 runs and 28 hits in the two games compared to no runs and six hits by the Bulldogs. Augustana won game one, 10-0, and game two, 8-0. The Vikings lowered their Division II's best ERA to 2.12.

With the two shutouts on Sunday, the Vikings have shutouts in three straight games which is a first in school history. The Vikings also upped their school record for shutouts in a season to 12.

GAME ONE: Augustana 10, Minnesota Duluth 0
The Vikings had it going on in game one against the Bulldogs taking the game 10-0. Augustana garnered its 11th shutout of the season and senior Jacob Blank came close to making history on Sunday.

Blank (6-0) had no-hit the Bulldogs on April 15 of last season and was two-outs away from a perfect game on Sunday before the Bulldogs broke through with a hit. Blank finished with a complete game shutout allowing two hits and striking out 12 and it was Blank's third complete game of the year and his second shutout. Blank set a season-high in strikeouts and one off of his career-high.

The Viking offense was on point as well on Sunday. Augustana lashed out 14 hits and 10 runs led by a three hit, three RBI performance from Jordan Barth, extending his team lead in RBI to 44 on the year. Other notable hitters in game one were Michael Svozil (3-for-5, one RBI), Riley Johnson (2-for-5, two runs scored) and Lucas Wylie (1-for-1, two RBI).

The Vikings jumped on the Bulldogs early with five runs in the first two innings. Augustana opened the game with three straight singles and Sam Baier got the scoring started with a RBI single to score Johnson. After Baier and Svozil executed a double steal, Ryan Nickel would drive in Svozil on a RBI groundout. In the second, the Vikings would string four straight singles, capped off by a Svozil RBI single. Barth notched a two-RBI single to give the Vikings a 5-0 lead.

Augustana added two runs in the fifth and another three runs in the sixth to get to the final score of 10-0. In the fifth, Lucas Barry added a pinch hit RBI single and Carter Wevik had a sacrifice fly. In the sixth, Barth added his third RBI of the game and Wylie got a two-RBI single to make it 10-0.

GAME TWO: Augustana 8, Minnesota Duluth 0
Shutout No. 12 on the season for the Vikings came in game two against Minnesota Duluth in an 8-0 win. The Vikings were yet again backed by strong pitching, solid defense and stellar hitting.

In game two, Austin Orvis (2-0) made his first career start as a Viking and was superb in his spot start. Orvis went a career best five innings, allowing two hits with no runs and no walk while striking out a career-high seven batters.

For the second straight game the Vikings jumped on the Bulldogs in the first inning to the tune of three runs. With two outs, Ryan Nickel got a RBI single and Lucas Wylie followed him up with a two-RBI single, giving Augustana an early 3-0 lead. In the second, the Vikings added a single run on a Michael Svozil sacrifice fly.

The Vikings would tack one run on in the sixth and three in the seventh. In the sixth, Carter Wevik laced a RBI double to score Trent Herman. In the seventh, Nickel got his second RBI of the game on a sacrifice fly and Lucas Barry plated two with a double to make it 8-0.

Offensively, Jordan Barth recorded his second three hit game of the day and scored two runs. Sam Baier, Barry and Wevik each had two hits apiece and Nickel, Wylie and Barry garnered two RBI apiece.

The Vikings and Bulldogs will wrap up their four-game series tomorrow with a doubleheader in Duluth beginning at 10:30 a.m.