CONROE, Texas – The Augustana softball team stumbled in Texas to close its road trip with losses to No. 3 UT Tyler and St. Edward's. Augustana opened the day with a 7-5 setback to St. Edward's and then suffered a late defeat to UT Tyler, 3-2.
 
Game One: St. Edward's 7, Augustana 5
The Vikings jumped out to a 1-0 advantage in the opening frame as Abby Lien scored while Ashton Dorman was batting. The Vikings had the bases loaded which allowed the scenario for everyone to advance a base including the run.
 
St. Edward's answered back in the bottom half for the 1-1 game.
 
The Vikings' offense came alive in the second inning, plating three runs to take a 4-1 advantage. That started on a Kennedy Buckman walk followed by a Sydney Herbert single down the left-field line. The bases got loaded again when Liz Dierks also singled, setting up Andrea Cain to drive in a run on a single up the middle.
 
With the bases still loaded, Gracey Brink doubled into right-center, scoring Herbert and Dierks for the 4-1 advantage.
 
The Hilltoppers, again, immediately answered back, this time taking a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the second inning. That lead advanced by two more runs in the fourth inning with a pair of unearned runs.
 
Augustana got one run back in the fifth inning thanks to a Buckman home run, but the 7-5 score is where it stood for the remainder of the game.
 
The Vikings tallied six hits in the contest with Herbert going 2-for-3. Lexi Lander started the game in the circle while Hailey Houston came on for four innings of relief, not giving up an earned run while striking out three.
 
Game Two: No. 3 UT Tyler 3, No. 13 Augustana 2
The Vikings fell behind 1-0 in the contest but took a 2-1 lead in the third inning thanks to timely hitting and running. Liz Dierks reached base on a single and was pushed to second base on an Andrea Cain walk. Despite a groundout, both advanced to second and third base, respectively.
 
With the threat of a run-scoring, the UT Tyler pitcher tossed a wild pitch allowing Dierks to scamper home and Cain to move to third base. Abby Lien then scored Cain on a double into left-center field for the 2-1 advantage.
 
Helene Krage then allowed just one hit between the third, fourth, fifth and sixth innings. However, a rally was put together in the bottom of the seventh inning as the Patriots took the win in walk-off fashion.
Dierks led AU with a pair of hits in two at-bats while scoring the run. Krage tossed a complete game, striking out six hitters while allowing seven hits.
 
Up Next
Augustana will now take a nearly one-month hiatus before competing in the Drury Invitational March 3-5 in Springfield, Missouri.