SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - What a season for the Augustana baseball team and the best part… it isn't over yet. The Vikings (44-8) won the 2018 NSIC tournament championship by defeating Concordia-St. Paul (26-16), 10-9, at Karras Park on Saturday afternoon.

With the victory, Augustana has secured its first NCAA tournament berth since 2014 by claiming the NSIC automatic bid. This the Vikings second NSIC championship in school history. The Vikings first NSIC title was in 2014.

Concordia-St. Paul gave Augustana all it could handle, but the Vikings held on to win their fourth game of the season against the Golden Bears and their third by one run. With the two best ERA's in the conference, the teams put on an offensive show in their four games on the season with the Vikings outscoring the Golden Bears 28-21 in those games.

Michael Svozil and Riley Johnson came up clutch in the NSIC championship on Saturday. Svozil finished 3-for-4 with three RBI and was a home run away from a cycle. Johnson was 2-for-4 three runs scored and two RBI. The five combined RBI between Svozil and Johnson were with two outs.

Austin Orvis (3-0) earned the win for the Vikings after pitching two innings of scoreless relief only allowing two hits. Clay Collison got the no-decision as the Vikings starter and went 3.1 innings allowing four runs on five hits with four strikeouts. Zach Reeg earned his third save of the season after getting the final four outs for the Vikings.

The Golden Bears scored first, just as they did yesterday, scoring a run on a wild pitch. The Golden Bears would strand runners on second and third as Collison escaped the jam. The Vikings took the lead in the bottom half of the first after capitalizing on a leadoff single and a pair of walks. Riley Johnson led off with a single and Michael Svozil and Jordan Barth reached on walks to load the bases. Ryan Nickel drove in the first Viking run on a two-strike RBI single and Lucas Wylie hit a one-out sacrifice fly to five Augustana the 2-1 lead after one.

Concordia-St. Paul retook the lead in the third inning on a two-out, two-run home run from Roch Whittaker. The Golden Bears would put up three runs in the fourth to take a 6-2 lead. The Golden Bear lead wouldn't last long as the Vikings scored six runs with two outs in the fourth to take an 8-6 lead. The rally started by Johnson lining the 10th pitch of the at bat to left center for a two-RBI double. Svozil and Barth each hit RBI singles through the left side to tie the game at six. The Vikings took the lead on a Concordia-St. Paul error to score two Vikings.

Augustana added another two-out RBI in the fifth to take a 9-6 lead. Johnson reached on a walk and scored on a Svozil double down the left field line. Svozil hit a two-out triple in the seventh to extend the Vikings lead to 10-6. The Golden Bears made things interesting with three runs in the eighth, but Reed got the last out of the eighth and shut the door in the ninth to give Augustana a 10-9 victory.

Four Vikings were named to the NSIC All-Tournament team for their performances in the four-time. Jacob Blank, Lucas Wylie, Sam Baier and Jordan Barth were selected to the All-Tournament team.
 
The Vikings will learn where they are playing for the Central Regional during the NCAA Division II Baseball Selection show that will air via webcast at NCAA.com on Sunday, May 13 at 9 p.m. (CT). The Central Regional will be played on May 17-20 at a site to be determined.