DULUTH, Minn. - The No. 3 Augustana baseball team (36-2, 22-2 NSIC) picked up its fourth four-game sweep of the season with a pair of wins over Minnesota Duluth (15-20, 11-12 NSIC). The Vikings took game one, 1-0, and won game two, 10-2.

Augustana is now 15-0 in road games this season and outscored the Bulldogs 29-2 in the four-game set and outhit them 46-13. Augustana also tied its season best winning streak of 12 games with the two wins on Monday. On two prior occasions this year the Vikings had won 12 consecutive games.

The Vikings also picked up their fourth straight shutout in game one and made it 13 for the season. Augustana saw its scoreless innings streak end at 42, when the Bulldogs scored two runs in the eighth inning of game two.

GAME ONE: Augustana 1, Minnesota Duluth 0
The Vikings made it three shutouts in three games against the Bulldogs with a 1-0 win in game one. It was Augustana's 13th shutout of the year and its fourth 1-0 win. The Viking pitching staff hasn't allowed a run in 35 innings, including four straight shutouts.

After both teams went scoreless through the first five innings, the Vikings broke through in the sixth. Carter Wevik led off the sixth with a single, then stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error by the Bulldog cather. Wevik then would score on a wild pitch, giving Augustana the 1-0 lead and the only run scored in the game.

Jed Schmidt got the start for the Vikings and lasted 4.1 innings, allowing three hits and one walk while striking out three. Zach Reeg (3-0) picked up the win after going 0.2 innings and Michael Brandt went the final two innings, earning his seventh save of the year. The Viking pitchers totalled a season-low four strikeouts.

GAME TWO: Augustana 10, Minnesota Duluth 2
Game two between the Vikings and Bulldogs saw Augustana extend its winning streak to 12 games in an 8-2 victory. The Vikings gave up their first runs of the series in the eighth inning, putting an end to their four-game shutout streak and 42 inning scoreless streak.

Tyler Mitzel (6-0) earned the win for the Vikings after throwing seven shutout innings, allowing two hits with no walks and striking out eight Bulldogs. The grad transfer lowered his season ERA to 1.82.

The Vikings didn't wait long in game two to plate their first run. Sam Baier gave the Vikings a 1-0 lead with a RBI single to score Michel Svozil in the first inning. In the third, Augustana had three runs cross home including another two RBI from Baier. JT Mix scored the first run of the inning on a passed ball and Baier would drive in Riley Johnson and Svozil on a double, giving the Vikings a 3-0 lead.

In the sixth, Ryan Nickel laced a triple down the right field line, scoring Jordan Barth from first. In the seventh, the Vikings added another three runs. Mix would score on a wild pitch and Barth hit is fifth home run of the season, a two-run shot to give the Vikings an 8-0 advantage.

Offensively, Baier and Barth had two hits, two runs scored and three RBI apiece. Baier and Svozil each had two stolen bases and Svozil was 2-for-5 with three runs scored. Johnson also had a two-hit game and Mix had two runs scored. The Bulldogs would get on the board in the eighth with a pair of runs and the Vikings would answer with two runs in the ninth, to make the final score 10-2. 

The Vikings will next take on crosstown rival Sioux Falls on Wednesday, April 25. The midweek doubleheader will be played at the Birdcage with the games beginning at 4 p.m.