BOLIVAR, Mo. – In Augustana softball's first straight doubleheader of the season, the Vikings earned a sweep. The Vikings swept Southwest Baptist by scores of 4-2 and 7-5 with the latter being a dramatic come-from-behind victory.
 
Augustana moves to 6-6 on the season while Southwest Baptist falls to 5-15.
 
Game One: Augustana 4, Southwest Baptist 2
The Vikings never trailed as Kennedy Buckman knocked a two-run homerun over the left-field fence in the second inning. Delaney Young reached base on a double down the left-field line and was brought home by Buckman's team-leading fourth home run of the season in the second inning.
 
It was 3-0 AU in the fourth inning thanks to a home run by Ashton Dorman over the left-field fence.
 
The Bearcats manufactured a pair of unearned runs in the bottom of the fourth to make it a 3-2 ballgame, but AU answered right back in the top of the fifth. Gracey Brink, who entered the game hitting .500 on the season, singled up the middle to score Liz Dierks.
 
The 4-2 score would prove to be the final Lexi Lander entered the game in the circle in the sixth inning to earn her first-career save after tossing three strikeouts and no hits or walks. Hailey Houston started the game for the Vikings to earn her second win of the season. She threw five innings, giving up five hits while striking out two.
 
Augustana totaled five hits in the win with all five coming from different spots in the batting order.
 
Game Two: Augustana 7, Southwest Baptist 5
The Vikings fell behind 5-0 after two innings but began to make their comeback in the top of the third inning. That started with a two-run home run off the bat of Abby Lien. The Vikings' third baseman brought Andrea Cain home with her as Cain reached base after being hit by a pitch.
 
In the fourth inning, Cain singled through the right side to score Sydney Herbert who had reached base on a double.
 
Gracey Brink pulled the Vikings within one run at 5-4 as her sacrifice fly to center field scored Bergen Lindner. Lindner was pinch-running for Kennedy Buckman who had reached base via a walk.
 
The drama of the seventh inning peaked with two outs and Ashton Dorman in the batter's box. The freshman did not succumb to the pressure as she pummeled the pitch over the left-field wall to knot the game at 5.
 
With new life, Augustana put runners on second and third with a single from Buckman and a double from Herbert. Nicole Bellis stepped into the batter's box and simply singled into left field to clear the bases and give Augustana the 7-5 lead.
 
Augustana allowed a run in the bottom of the inning but shut the door on a comeback as Brink stopped the Bearcat runner from stretching a single into a double by throwing a rope to Buckman to tag the SBU runner out at second base.
 
Lien led AU with three hits while Cain, Delaney Young and Herbert each tallied two. Lexi Lander earned the win in the circle with her four innings of relief, allowing just two hits and one run.
 
Up Next
Augustana remains in Missouri as it crisscrosses the state over Spring Break with a doubleheader Wednesday at Missouri S&T. Game one is slated for 1 p.m. On Thursday, AU is scheduled to play at Rockhurst with a doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m.