SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The Augustana softball team pushed its winning streak to 11 games on Friday as the Vikings took a pair of games from Northern State at Sherman Park. Augustana captured game one 14-5 and followed up in game two with an 18-3 victory.
 
Over the two games, Augustana tallied six home runs and six doubles. The Vikings improve to 30-7 on the year and 14-2 in the NSIC, a first-place showing in the standings for the nation's 13^th-ranked team. Northern State falls to 10-26 overall, 2-12 in the loop.
 
Game One: No. 13 Augustana 14, Northern State 5
The reigning NFCA/Louisville Slugger Player of the Week cracked a pair of home runs while Torri Chute totaled three doubles to lead the Vikings to victory. It was a Chute double that led to the game's first run.
 
Chute led off the top of the second inning, as Augustana was marked as the visiting team on the scoreboard due to the site-reversal, with a double into center field. Kennedy Buckman then singled her home with a shot down the left-field line.
 
Six runs were added in the third inning, beginning with a Pardo moonshot over the center-field fence. Chute then doubled in Liz Dierks. In succession, the lead went from 4-0 to 7-0 with an error, sacrifice fly, another error and a single up the middle. Pardo bookended the scoring in the inning as it was her single up the middle to score Kennedy Buckman to make it 7-0.
 
Northern State pushed two runs across home plate thanks to a home run in the bottom of the third, but the Vikings went right back on the offensive to capture a 10-2 lead. The runs came on a Delaney Young at-bat, Gracey Brink single and Buckman single.
 
The scoring ended in the sixth inning as Amanda Dickmeyer singled into right field to score Young followed by a Taylor Bross sacrifice fly for a 12-4 lead. The final two runs came courtesy of Pardo's second home run of the game and 16^th of the year.
 
Ashley Mickschl picked up her 12^th win of the year in the circle, tossing four innings and striking out six. Both Olivia Hazelbaker and Hailey Houston tossed an inning each in the win.
 
Augustana tallied 15 hits in the game with Pardo and Chute each tallying three. Abby Lien, Buckman and Dickmeyer each recorded three hits in the game while Pardo totaled four RBI and Buckman three.
 
Game Two: No. 13 Augustana 18, Northern State 3
A 12-run second inning lifted the Vikings to victory after AU surrendered an opening inning home run.
 
Trailing 1-0, the offense went to work in the top of the second as Gracey Brink hit a three-run home run to erase the deficit and take the lead. Mary Pardo, fresh off a two home run game one, simply doubled into left-center to push the lead to 5-1 to score Abbie Lund and Kennedy Buckman.
 
Two more runs came courtesy of Abby Lien and a double into right field. Delaney Young then cleared the bases with a home run to straight-away center field for a 10-1 AU advantage.
 
The final runs of the second inning was a Kennedy Buckman home run into right-center for a 12-1 lead.
 
Northern State captured two runs back in the bottom of the second, but that was all the offense the Wolves would muster as AU added runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings. The fifth inning tally was a rocket over the right-field fence by Olivia Hazelbaker for her first home run of 2022.
 
Amber Elliott tossed four innings, giving up three hits while striking out seven to earn the win. She moves to 12-2 on the season. Makayla Williams pitched the final inning, not allowing a baserunner in three at-bats.
 
Augustana racked up 15 hits in the win with three from Bergen Lindner, a career-best day at the plate. She was 3-for-4 with three runs scored and two RBI. Young totaled six RBI on two hits. In all, 10 different Vikings recorded a hit in the contest.
 
Up Next
Augustana welcomes MSU Moorhead on Saturday in another site-reversal contest. Augustana will be the visiting team on the scoreboard with a doubleheader beginning at noon. Augustana will host the games at Sherman Park, Field B.
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