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Steffens vs. Winona State
Jurgens Photography
4
Winona State WSU 22-20
7
Winner Augustana AUGIE 33-9
Winona State WSU
22-20
4
Final
7
Augustana AUGIE
33-9
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Winona State WSU 0 0 1 0 2 0 1 0 0 4 6 5
Augustana AUGIE 0 1 5 0 1 0 0 0 X 7 10 1

W: Steffens, Max (8-1) L: Kramer, C. (4-2) S: Bishop, Koby (1)

Next Game:

St. Cloud State

5/19/2021 | 6 p.m.

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Full Schedule
May. 19 (Wed) / 6 p.m.
 St. Cloud State

Game Recap: Baseball |

Viking Baseball Sweeps Winona State, Moves to Second Round of NSIC Tournament

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- On a perfect day for some Friday afternoon baseball at Karras Park Home of Ronken Field, the No. 19-ranked Augustana baseball team defeated the Warriors of Winona State 7-4, advancing it to the second round of the NSIC Tournament. The Vikings, now 33-9 on the season, are one of four teams that will compete for the conference tournament title next week. 

Senior righty and NSIC Preseason Pitcher of the Year Max Steffens earned the win on the mound for Augustana with 6.1 innings pitched, three earned runs and five hits allowed and four strikeouts. On the season, the senior is now 8-1 with a 2.50 ERA and 52 strikeouts in 54 innings pitched. 

The Viking offense backed Steffens early, scoring once in the bottom of the second and five times in the bottom of the third. 

Senior shortstop Sam Baier doubled down the left field line to start the bottom of the second and moved to third on a bunt single from senior outfielder Riley Johnson. Baier came around to score later in the frame on an RBI single off the bat of junior outfielder Jaxon Rosencranz, giving Augustana a 1-0 lead. 

After the Warriors tied the ballgame in the top of the third, the Vikings capitalized on some defensive miscues from Winona State to record a big inning in the bottom half of the frame. 

Junior catcher Will Olson singled and moved to second on a throwing error with one out to start the rally. Olson scored on the very next pitch on an RBI single off the bat of senior infielder Christian Kuzemka, giving the Vikings a 2-1 lead. After the hit, Baier was hit by a pitch and he and Kuzemka moved to second and third on a passed ball.

That brought Johnson to the plate who chopped a grounder to the third baseman, scoring Kuzemka on a dropped throw by the Warrior catcher for the second error of the inning. The very next batter, Rosencranz, put the Vikings up big with a three-run homer down the right field line. Rosencranz's home run was his fifth of the season, gave him four RBIs on the day and gave Augustana a commanding 6-1 lead. 

With the five-run lead, Steffens cruised through the fourth before surrendering a two-run single in the top of the fifth. The Vikings, however, got one of those runs back in the bottom of the fifth on an RBI double from sophomore outfielder Carter Howell to bring the score to 7-3. 

Steffens only needed six pitches to navigate through the sixth inning and with one out in the seventh, handed the ball to junior righty Thomas Bruss. Bruss came in and saw one Warrior runner cross the plate before recording the final two outs of the inning and the first two outs of the eighth. 

Head Coach Tim Huber then went to senior lefty Koby Bishop out of the pen who retired all four hitters that he faced, two via strikeout, to earn the four-out save and secure the 7-4 win for the Vikings. 

At the plate, Howell, Baier and Rosencranz all tallied two hits while Olson, Kuzemka, Johnson and junior infielder JT Mix all had one.  

Up Next
The second round of the NSIC Tournament features a four-team double-elimination tournament hosted by Augustana at Karras Park Home of Ronken Field. The Vikings begin the tournament by taking on the St. Cloud State Huskies Wednesday at 6 p.m. The full bracket can be found here.
 
-- GoAugie.com -- 
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Players Mentioned

Sam Baier

#7 Sam Baier

IF
6' 0"
Senior
Koby Bishop

#13 Koby Bishop

LHP
6' 0"
Senior
Thomas Bruss

#45 Thomas Bruss

RHP
6' 8"
Junior
Carter Howell

#3 Carter Howell

OF
5' 11"
Sophomore
Riley Johnson

#22 Riley Johnson

OF
5' 9"
Senior
JT Mix

#2 JT Mix

IF
5' 9"
Junior
Will Olson

#9 Will Olson

C
5' 10"
Junior
Jaxon Rosencranz

#43 Jaxon Rosencranz

OF
6' 1"
Junior
Max Steffens

#21 Max Steffens

RHP
6' 1"
Senior
Christian Kuzemka

#42 Christian Kuzemka

IF
6' 4"
Senior

Players Mentioned

Sam Baier

#7 Sam Baier

6' 0"
Senior
IF
Koby Bishop

#13 Koby Bishop

6' 0"
Senior
LHP
Thomas Bruss

#45 Thomas Bruss

6' 8"
Junior
RHP
Carter Howell

#3 Carter Howell

5' 11"
Sophomore
OF
Riley Johnson

#22 Riley Johnson

5' 9"
Senior
OF
JT Mix

#2 JT Mix

5' 9"
Junior
IF
Will Olson

#9 Will Olson

5' 10"
Junior
C
Jaxon Rosencranz

#43 Jaxon Rosencranz

6' 1"
Junior
OF
Max Steffens

#21 Max Steffens

6' 1"
Senior
RHP
Christian Kuzemka

#42 Christian Kuzemka

6' 4"
Senior
IF