DENVER, COLO. - The Augustana baseball used an early offensive onslaught to earn a 13-2 victory in its season opener over Regis University on Friday afternoon at the Regis Baseball Field. 

The Vikings scattered 20 hits between 11 batters, including hits from all nine starters. Drey Dirksen picked up where he left off a season ago, going 3 for 5 with a double, home run, and three RBI while scoring all three times he reached base. Ragan Pinnow also recorded three hits, including a pair of doubles. 

Nick Banowetz became the third Viking with a three hit afternoon, going 3 for 6 with a run and a pair of RBI. In total, AU had six players with multi-hit games as Jack Hines, Tate Meiners, and Luke Ballweg had two hits apiece. 

Caleb Saari earned the victory in his season debut. The NSIC Preseason Pitcher of the Year was effective in his first start of the season, throwing five shutout innings and allowing just four hits while striking out a pair. 

After Saari, Tom Sun and Aidan Torpey combined to throw four innings without an earned run to shut down the RU offense. 

The Rangers (5-5-1) threatened in the bottom of the first inning with a one-out double, but a Saari strikeout and diving play from Meiners kept the game scoreless. 

The Vikings would strike first in the top of the second. Dirksen led the inning off with the first AU hit of the season. Parker Mooney followed with a single and Ballweg drove a fastball the other way, bringing Dirksen in from second and giving the Vikings a 1-0 lead. 

In the top of the third, AU tacked on. Trevor Winterstein opened with a lead-off double, eventually stealing third and scoring on a wild pitch. Hines kept the momentum rolling with a single and Dirksen followed with a double and with two outs, Meiners drove in both with a single through the left side to grow the lead to 4-0. 

The fourth inning saw another offensive explosion, with a Pinnow double, Winterstein reach on error, Banowetz single, and Hines double added a pair of runs to give AU a 6-0 lead. 

After a pitching change, Dirksen welcomed him with authority, belting a three-run no-doubter over the left field scoreboard on the first pitch to put the Vikings in front 9-0. 

After allowing a pair of unearned runs in the bottom of the sixth, The Vikings countered in the top of the seventh. Singles from Max Mosser, Meiners, Ballweg, and Pinnow had AU going station-to-station for a run, and Jason Axelberg drove in Meiners with a fielder's choice to regain a nine run lead.

The Vikings were able to close the scoring in the ninth, as a two-run double from Banowetz with two outs drove home Axelberg and Ballweg to bring the game to its final score. 

The two teams will meet for a doubleheader tomorrow, with first pitch slated for noon CT.