LAKEWOOD, Colo. – The Augustana baseball team earned a sweep on Saturday with 11-3 and 4-0 wins at Colorado Christian. The wins boost Augustana's record to 6-5 on the season while the Cougars fall to 2-5-1.
 
Pitching was the name of the game for AU as Caleb Saari, Tom Sun and Ryan Jares combined to allow just eight hits across the doubleheader including a one-hit gem from Jares in the day's second game.
 
Game One: Augustana 11, Colorado Christian 3
Despite giving up the three runs, this one was all Augustana as AU entered the bottom of the eighth inning with an 11-1 lead. Caleb Saari set the tone for AU by allowing just four hits while striking out seven. The lone run he gave up was unearned.
 
Augustana plated four runs in the second inning beginning with a Nick Banowetz double into left-center to score Luke Ballweg. Two batters later, Jason Axelberg doubled into right field to score Banowetz. The final runs of the second inning came off the bat of Trevor Winterstein as he doubled into right field to score Parker Mooney and Axelberg.
 
After the unearned run scored in the bottom of the fifth for CCU, AU answered right back with a double to center field by Ballweg to score Ragan Pinnow.
 
The eighth inning saw the floodgates open as the Vikings scored six runs on two hits, both home runs. Ballweg concluded his 3-for-5 day with a home run to near straight-away center field for a three-run home run.
 
Winterstein accounted for a three-run home run of his own as he knocked the ball over the right-center field wall to push AU ahead 11-1.
 
Despite a pair of runs in the bottom of the eighth, Tom Sun got all three outs by strikeout then slammed the door shut in the bottom of the ninth to give AU the win in game one.
 
Augustana racked up 11 hits in the performance with three each from Banowetz and Ballweg. Winterstein accounted for two hits and five RBI.
 
Game Two: Augustana 4, Colorado Christian 0
Augustana starter Ryan Jares pitched a gem for the Vikings, going the distance of the seven-inning affair with nine strikeouts and allowing just a single hit.
 
The Vikings jumped on the scoreboard in the opening inning thanks to a sacrifice fly by Luke Ballweg, scoring Trevor Winterstein. Winterstein was on base thanks to a leadoff single through the right side. The next hitter, Drey Dirksen, then smacked a double through the right side, scoring Nick Banowetz.
 
Augustana kept the offensive pressure on in the second inning as Banowetz recorded his second RBI of the game with a single into center field. That scored Jason Axelberg who reached base on a walk, moved to second on a balk then scored on the single.
 
An additional insurance run came in the fourth inning as Axelberg smacked a single into right-center to score Spencer Marenco who had reached base on a walk and swiped second base.
 
That was more than enough offense for Jares as he finished the gem of a performance on a nice pitch count of 69 pitches in the seven innings. He struck out nine batters and walked just two.
 
Augustana totaled six hits in the win with two each from Winterstein and Banowetz.
 
Up Next
The Vikings remain in Lakewood, Colorado, to close the four-game set with the Cougars on Sunday. First pitch of game one is slated for noon.