SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – In a contrast of two different games, the Augustana softball team swept Northern State Monday at Bowden Field. First, the Vikings came-from-behind to win game one 8-7. Game two was then an 11-0 run-rule victory.
 
Augustana is now 26-11 overall and 13-3 in the NSIC. The three losses match the least in the conference but AU is in second place of the NSIC standings behind Minnesota Duluth who has played more games. Northern State falls to 12-24, 6-10.  
 
Game One: Augustana 8, Northern State 7
Northern State opened a 2-0 lead in the opening frame, taking advantage of a rare Augustana error. But Delaney Young made sure to square things back up in the bottom of the first as she sliced a two-run double down the right field line to score Torri Chute and Gracey Brink.
 
A double by Kennedy Buckman then scored Young to give AU a 3-2 advantage after one inning.
 
A single by Buckman in the third inning scored Torri Chute to push the lead to 4-2.
 
The Wolves then fought back in the fourth inning with three runs and added a solo home run in the fifth to take a 6-4 lead.
 
That activated a comeback mode for the Vikings in the bottom of the fifth beginning with a Young home run over the left-center field wall. The game tied at 6-all when Andrea Cain doubled in Buckman.
 
In the sixth inning, Abby Lien and Torri Chute went back-to-back with home runs to give Augustana an 8-6 lead.
 
Despite a last-ditch home run by NSU, the Vikings prevailed 8-7 for the victory.
 
Haley Grimmius picked up her first win of the season for AU as she tossed two innings in relief while striking out three. Lexi Lander then earned her third save of the year in the circle by twirling the final inning.
 
On the offensive side of the ball, Augustana totaled 16 hits with four from Young and two each from Cain, Brink, Chute and Buckman.
 
Game Two: Augustana 11, Northern State 0
Lexi Lander was magnificent in the circle as she tossed the five-inning complete game by allowing just a single hit. She was perfect through three innings. She earned her 10^th win of the season.
 
Augustana piled on 11 runs on 12 hits including a grand slam by Abby Lien to give Augustana a 6-0 lead in the second inning. Prior to Lien's bases-loaded four-base hit, Andrea Cain opened the scoring with a steal of home plate while Gracey Brink crossed home plate on a double by Chute.
 
In the fourth inning, Lien again did damage, this time with a double down the left-field line to send home Brink for the first of five runs in the inning. Lien was brought home by a Delaney Young double. After the bases got loaded, Sydney Herbert singled into the third base area of the field to score Young while Bergen Lindner snuck under the tag attempt to keep the bases loaded.
 
The final two runs were scored by Lindner with Nicole Bellis batting and Kennedy Buckman with Andrea Cain batting.
 
Augustana totaled 12 hits in the victory with three from Cain while Lien had five RBI. But for how strong the offense was, it all circled back to Lander, inducing weak contact after weak contact with nine outs coming via a groundout in the win.
 
Up Next
Augustana is scheduled to travel to Upper Iowa on Wednesday for a doubleheader. However, as always, stay tuned to @AugieSoftball on social media for schedule updates.