SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – It was another strong day at the ballpark for the No. 10 Augustana softball team in a Sunday sweep. The Vikings topped Northeastern State 7-0 in the first game of the day and came back to win 12-0 against Central Missouri.
 
Augustana moves to 16-5 in 2022 while NSU is now 12-15. Central Missouri, the host of the UCM Pod in Warrensburg, Missouri, as part of the Missouri Western Tournament, falls to 8-17.
 
Mary Pardo tallied two home runs on the day, one in each game, while Kennedy Buckman and Torri Chute also tallied a home run.
 
Game One: No. 10 Augustana 7, Northeastern State 0
Amber Elliott got the start in the circle and gave up just two hits over six innings while striking out six to pace the Vikings defensively.
 
Offensively, it was Kennedy Buckman who jumpstarted the offense with a home run into left field and a 1-0 lead in the second inning. That lead stretched to 2-0 in the third winning as Mary Pardo, who reached base on a single, scored on a wild pitch. It moved to 3-0 in the third as Torri Chute doubled into left field scoring Liz Dierks.
 
Pardo hit her first home run of the day in the bottom of the fourth inning as she sent the ball over the left-field fence for a grand slam. The four-base hit scored Abbie Lund, Amanda Dickmeyer and Gracey Brink.
 
That 7-0 lead would prove to be the final score as AU racked up eight hits in the contest with two each from Pardo and Chute. Elliott's win in the circle was her sixth of the season.
 
Game Two: No. 10 Augustana 12, Central Missouri 0
Augustana took revenge on UCM Sunday after the Jennies walked-off the Vikings on Saturday. Augustana scored in the first, second, third and fourth innings to compile the 12 runs in the contest.
 
Torri Chute got the scoring started in the opening frame as she homered to left field. Delaney Young was on base courtesy of a single up the middle in the previous at-bat.
 
Mary Pardo then hit her second home run of the day with a three-run shot into left field. Gracey Brink and Abbie Lund were both on base for Pardo's moon shot.
 
The floodgates then opened as AU piled up six runs in the top of the third. A bases-loaded walk by Amanda Dickmeyer pushed the first run across of the inning. Nicole Bellis then singled in Kennedy Buckman and Gracey Brink for the 8-0 lead.
 
The final two runs of the inning came from a Pardo single and Liz Dierks double. The final run of the game was Chute crossing home plate during Brink's at-bat.
 
Ashley Mickschl pitched four innings to pick up her sixth win of the year, allowing just three hits. Hailey Houston pitched the final frame as Augustana left Missouri with three wins.
 
Up Next
Augustana now takes just over a week off before opening NSIC action. The Vikings host Wayne State on Tuesday, March 29 with a doubleheader slated to begin at 3 p.m. Stay tuned to GoAugie.com for field location for AU softball while Bowden Field renovations wrap up.
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