COMMERCE, Texas – It may have been winter conditions in Sioux Falls on Tuesday, but the Augustana softball team opened its season on a sunny 69-degree day in Commerce, Texas, earning a split with No. 22 Texas A&M – Commerce. The Vikings fell in game one in 10 innings 4-3 but bounced back in game two with a 5-0 win.
Ashley Mickschl and
Delaney Young each led the way with three hits over the two games while
Amber Elliott was in the circle for the shutout victory.
The contests were eerily similar to the start of the 2021 season when the Vikings dropped the first game of the year, also against Commerce by one run, before coming back in the next contest to defeat the home team by five runs.
Game One: No. 22 TAMUC 4, No. AU 3 10 innings
Despite out-hitting the Lions 13-10, the Vikings fell in extra innings 4-3. In what was a pitcher's duel throughout, Augustana scored the first run of the game and the first run of the 2022 NCAA Division II softball season across the country.
Kennedy Buckman got the offense rolling in the fifth inning when she doubled into right-center.
Becca Koupal pinch-ran for Buckman and took third base on a
Liz Dierks groundout.
Abbie Lund then hit a sharp single into center field which allowed Koupal to cross home plate easily.
The Lions immediately answered in the bottom of the fifth on a solo home run off the bat of Avery Boley.
The Vikings tacked on two more runs in the top of the sixth.
Delaney Young singled up the middle and was pushed to second base on a single by
Torri Chute. With
Bergen Lindner pinch-running for Young,
Abby Lien sent a seeing-eye single up the middle to score Lindner. Two batters later, Chute scored on a Buckman single to give AU the 3-1 advantage.
Texas A&M – Commerce pieced together a bottom of the seventh and tied the game with two outs.
That set up scoreless eighth and ninth innings, including a Vikings' bases-loaded chance in the ninth. However, it was the 10
th inning that saw the home team push the game-winning run across the plate.
Of the 13 hits, four Vikings tallied two hits in Young, Chute, Buckman and Lund. Dierks collected her first collegiate hit in the 10th inning on a bunt.
Ashley Mickschl pitched all 9.1 innings, giving up four runs, two earned, while forcing 18 groundouts.
Game Two: No. 2 AU 5, No. 22 TAMUC 0
Augustana took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third inning as
Ashley Mickschl crossed home plate when
Abby Lien reached base on an error. Mickschl reached base on a single, moved to second on a wild pitch, got pushed to third on a groundout before scoring on Lien's at-bat.
It was a wild seventh inning for AU, plating four runs on two hits.
Mary Pardo singled up the middle, scoring
Liz Dierks and
Amanda Dickmeyer to take a 3-0 lead. That lead ballooned to 5-0 when
Delaney Young singled into right-center scoring Pardo and
Abbie Lund.
Lund reached base on a fielder's choice as the Lions tried to pick off Dickmeyer at third base. Mickschl was able to keep the pressure on TAMUC when she loaded the bases because of a fielder's choice. She hit the ball up the third-base line where the Lions again tried to pick off the lead runner but with no success.
Amber Elliott took care of business in the circle as she totaled eight strikeouts, induced seven groundouts while giving up just three hits.
Mickschl and Young each went 2-for-4 in the batter's box with two RBI.
Up Next
Augustana continues its stay in Texas with six games at the Arkansas Tech Winter Invitational. The Vikings take to the turf on Thursday against Texas A&M International at 1:15 p.m. followed by a contest with St. Mary's at 3:30 p.m.
--GoAugie.com--
