ST. CLOUD, Minn. -- The No. 16 and top-seeded Augustana baseball team (37-14) kicked off the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Tournament with a win over number eight seed Winona State (24-22) in the opening round. The Vikings were in control all game and took down the Warriors 4-1 in the first game of the tournament. 

The game began in what has become a familiar trend as the Vikings put up a run in the first inning. The first inning marked the 10th consecutive game in which the Vikings have scored at least one run in the first frame. 2019 NSIC First Team honoree Jordan Barth started off the Augustana scoring with an RBI single that drove in 2019 NSIC Gold Glove outfielder Michael Svozil who walked to start the inning.

2019 NSIC Second Team Catcher Will Olson went yard to lead off the second inning and plated the only run of the inning for the Vikings. In the third, 2019 NSIC Second Team honoree JT Mix highlighted the inning with an RBI triple to drive in Svozil for the second time. 

After a pair of scoreless innings for each team, Winona State broke through for their first run in the top of the sixth inning. Augustana tacked on the final run of the game in the eighth inning on a Barth single through the left side to score Mix from second. 

Seth Miller was awarded his fifth win of the season as he pitched six complete innings with four strikeouts while surrendering one earned run. Ryan Helgeson came on in relief in the seventh inning and pitched two hitless innings before Michael Brandt entered the game to shut the door on the Warriors for his fourth save of the season.

Next Up

Augustana will take on number four seed Minot State tomorrow at 3:00 PM in St. Cloud, Minn. at Dick Putz Field.