SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – It was a perfect day for Ashley Mickschl as she pitched a perfect game for the Augustana softball team. The perfect game is believed to be the first in Augustana's history for Viking softball.
 
The Vikings swept the doubleheader with a pair of 9-0 wins over MSU Moorhead at Bowden Field. No. 1 Augustana improves to 30-4 on the season and 18-2 in the NSIC. The losses drops MSU Moorhead to 7-26, 5-14.
 
Outside of Mickschl's masterful performance, Delaney Young was 4-for-5 at the plate with four runs scored and five RBI while Taylor Bross and Abbie Lund each went 3-for-4 over the day. In all, Augustana launched five home runs for the sweep.
 
Game One: No. 1 Augustana 9, MSU Moorhead 0
It was 15 batters up, 15 batters down for Mickschl as she allowed just one ball to leave the infield while striking out six.

"Pitching a perfect game is just amazing," head coach Gretta Melsted said. "I'm so proud of Ashley and it's another accomplishment in a fantastic career at Augustana. Our whole team couldn't be more thrilled." 
 
The Viking offense took care of the rest including a lead-off home run from Mary Pardo. She hit her NSIC-leading 14^th home run into left field for the early lead.
 
Augustana then pushed four runs across home plate in the second inning. Amanda Dickmeyer sent a long fly ball over the left-field fence for her second-career home run. The four-bagger also scored Delaney Young.
 
Gracey Brink then hit a home run, this time to left-center, scoring Pardo for the 5-0 lead.
 
After Mickschl set down the side in order in the third, it was a four-run bottom of the third for AU. Abby Lien singled to third base and was followed by a walk from Mickschl to set up a double from Delaney Young, which scored both Lien and Mickschl.
 
Young then scored on a wild pitch with the final run of the game coming from the legs of Dickmeyer, who scored on a groundout from Kendall Cornick.
 
With the offense alive, Mickschl took care of the rest, throwing less than 50 pitches and throwing more than one ball to a batter just once. In the end, she struck out six and forced such weak contact that just one ball left the infield all game.
 
The Vikings tallied nine hits with two coming from Abbie Lund and Young. The other five hits came from five different spots in the Vikings' lineup.
 
Game Two: No. 1 Augustana 9, MSU Moorhead 0
Twelve hits pushed the Augustana offense to another 9-0 win on Saturday as senior Taylor Bross was 2-for-3 with a home run, two runs scored and two RBI.
 
Bross brought home the first run of the game with a double into left-center which scored Mary Pardo. Torri Chute then hit a grounder to the pitcher which scored Kendall Cornick to third base. Bross then completed the trip around the bases as Delaney Young hit a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring Bross.
 
The final run of the first inning came on a Kennedy Buckman single which scored Abby Lien.
 
In the third inning, Buckman again did damage with her bat with a single into left field scoring Delaney Young for the 5-0 lead.
 
Augustana tacked on three more runs in the bottom of the fourth beginning with a solo home run from Bross into left-center field. Delaney Young then hit an opposite-field two-run shot into right field, the first at Bowden Field in 2021, to add two more runs on the board.
 
The final run of the doubleheader was on an Olivia Hazelbaker single up the middle scoring Amanda Dickmeyer.
 
Amber Elliott got the start in the circle and collected her 16^th win of the season while striking out four. She did not walk a batter in four innings. Makayla Williams came on for the fifth inning to strike out one and seal the victory.
 
Up Next
The Vikings welcome Northern State for a doubleheader on Sunday beginning at noon.