WAYNE, Neb. -- Playing a pair of home games on the road, the No. 11 Augustana softball team picked up two wins on Sunday afternoon against the University of Mary. With both games being shorted to five innings due to the eight-run rule, Augustana won game one 12-2 and finished off the series with a 10-1 win. Augustana improves to 34-7 (14-2 NSIC). U-Mary drops to 21-15 (6-10 NSIC).

Augustana head coach Gretta Melsted also won her 500th career game at Augustana. In 13 years with the Vikings, Melsted is a remarkable 501-212 (.704).

Moments that mattered:

• Starting at first base, Christina Pickett had two of her best games of the season. She collected three RBI in game one and finished with season-high four RBI in game two.  
• Ashley Mickschl pitched four innings with six strikeouts to get her league-leading 16th win of the year. 
• Kara McDougall, Shannon Petersen, and Maggie Kadrlik all had two RBI in game one
• Amber Elliott struck out 5-of-6 batters to start game two. She pitched four innings for her 12th win.
• Olivia Wolters closed both games, pitching a pair of innings for the Vikings
• McDougall and Maggie Dunnett both had two RBI in game two.
• The Vikings hit 22-of-47 (.468) in the two-game series.

Game one:

The Viking offense set the tone in the bottom of the first frame. With runners on, Christina Pickett started off her terrific day with an RBI single to center. Kadrlik followed with a double to right center, and before the inning was over Mickschl made it 3-0 with an RBI.

Among the league leaders in innings, wins, and complete games Ashley Mickschl settled in the second. She finished the day with six strikeouts as she picked up her NSIC-best 16th win. 

The second frame was quiet, but the Vikings broke the game open in the third with a six-run frame. Samantha Eisenreich started off the frame with a two-RBI single, and then back-to-back doubles from Pickett and Dunnett made it 9-1.

Kadrlik added a solo home run in the 4th, and McDougall kept the offense rolling with a two-run single in the 5th. Wolters finished the game with one inning in the fifth. 

Game two:

Amber Elliott started off game two with an impressive performance from the circle. The sophomore collected strikeouts in five of the first six batters faced and finished the game eight overall. 

The Viking offense also continued to shine, led once again by Christina Pickett. The junior roped a two-RBI triple down the right field line, and following an RBI single from Petersen and a sac-fly, it was a quick 4-0 nothing lead.
 
Amanda Dickmeyer showed some speed with an RBI single to short, and with another sac-fly, it was 6-0 after the first frame.

A Dunnett double added to the advantage in the third, but the score ended just the way it started in game two. Pickett blasted a solo home run for the game's 10th run. In the two-game total, Pickett hit for the cycle. 

Augustana continues their eight-game homestand with a pair of game on Monday. The Vikings will be at home in Sioux Falls for a doubleheader vs. Minot State. Game one is set for a 2 p.m. start