FAYETTE, Iowa – The NSIC Champion Augustana softball team completed its regular season on Sunday with a doubleheader sweep over Upper Iowa. The national-ranked No. 1 Vikings took game one 13-1 and game two 7-0 in Fayette, Iowa.
 
Augustana improves to 40-4 on the season and finishes the NSIC slate 28-2. The Peacocks conclude their season with a 13-30 overall record and 9-21 within league play.
 
Ashley Mickschl picked up her 22^nd win of the season allowing just two hits while Amber Elliott garnered her 17^th victory of the year on a one-hit, six inning performance. In the batter's box, Kendall Cornick was 4-for-6 with five runs scored while Torri Chute totaled four hits in seven at-bats with two doubles.
 
Game One: No. 1 Augustana 13, Upper Iowa 1
The Vikings tied a season-high with 13 runs scored as AU tallied four runs in the first, six in the second and three in the third to control the game. Ashley Mickschl carried a perfect game into the fourth inning as she pitched four innings and gave up just two hits and just the lone run.
 
The four-run first inning was started on a double by Torri Chute which scored Mary Pardo. The next hitter, Abby Lien, plated Kendall Cornick and Chute for the quick 3-0 lead after five batters. The final run of the opening frame was pushed across the plate by Delaney Young as she scored Lien who was standing on third base.
 
The league's top home run hitting team continued to work without the long ball in the second inning as the Vikings scored two runs on a single up the middle by Cornick. The NSIC's leading base stealer then swiped second and third base, and after Gracey Brink drew a walk and stole second base, the duo was pushed home on a double by Chute for the 8-0 lead.
 
Young picked up another RBI as she scored Chute on a double into right-center field with the final run of the inning coming off the bat of Mickschl, scoring Young.
 
The long ball came in the third inning as Brink launched a home run to straight-away center field for a two-run home run and the 12-0 lead. The Vikings' final run of the game came as Young reached base on an error which scored Chute.
 
Chute was 3-for-4 at the plate with three runs scored and three RBI while Brink was 2-for-3 and two runs scored. The duo combined for five of the Vikings' 10 hits. AU also stole four bases with two coming from Cornick and one each from Pardo and Brink.
 
Mickschl tallied her 22^nd win of the season, an NSIC high, tossing four innings of one-run ball with no walks. Makayla Williams threw the fifth inning picking up a strikeout.
 
Game Two: No. 1 Augustana 7, Upper Iowa 0
This was a much slower offensive game for AU as the Vikings didn't score a run until the fourth inning. That is when Abby Lien doubled down the left-field line to score Kendall Cornick who had reached base on a bunt.
 
Delaney Young then made it 2-0 Augustana with a single through the left side which scored Taylor Bross, who was on-base after being hit by a pitch. The third, and final run, of the inning was produced via base stealing. Amanda Dickmeyer stole second base but an errant throw into center field allowed Lien to scamper home.
 
The Vikings then sent four runners across the plate in the seventh inning. Augustana utilized its legs again for the seventh inning runs, manufacturing the first two by productive base-running. Gracey Brink drew a walk and was pushed to third base thanks to a sacrifice bunt off the bat of Abbie Lund. Lund reached base on an error and promptly stole second base.
 
Mary Pardo then laid down a bunt of her own and reached base as the Peacocks were trying to throw Brink out at home. She then got into a rundown between first and second base, which allowed Lund to score, all while Pardo was standing safely on second base after getting out of the rundown.
 
Cornick then singled in Pardo for the 6-0 Augustana lead.
 
The final run of the game came off the bat of Bross as she hit a sharp-single into center field scoring Cornick.
 
Augustana recorded 11 hits in the game with Cornick going 3-for-4 at the plate with two runs scored. Both Young and Lund each totaled two hits with the other four hits coming in four different spots in the batting order.
 
Amber Elliott pitched six innings of one-hit ball to pick up the win. She totaled 12 strikeouts to aid in her 17^th win of the season. Makayla Williams again came on for the final inning and struck out two batters.  
 
Up Next
Augustana, the No. 1 seed in the NSIC Tournament, will play Thursday at 2 p.m. in the opening round of the tournament. The Vikings opponent will be determined via the play-in games of seeds 7-10. The tournament takes place in Rochester, Minnesota, with the winner receiving the NSIC's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.