TOPEKA, Kan. – The Augustana softball team earned a hard-fought split Saturday, topping Maryville in the day's second game 13-5. Earlier in the day, AU dropped an eight-inning affair, 3-2, to Emporia State.
 
The contests were part of the Washburn Invitational with Augustana now holding a 6-6 record. Emporia State is 13-6 and Maryville is 2-10.
 
Game One: Emporia State 3, Augustana 2
The Hornets got on the scoreboard early, with a first inning solo home run to give AU an early deficit. In the bottom of the third inning, AU pieced together the tying run. Andrea Cain was on third base as Torri Chute picked up the RBI to score Cain with a batted ball towards second base.
 
ESU answered right back in the top of the fourth as they pieced together the go-ahead run with two outs.
 
In what looked like a 2-1 setback, Augustana made magic happen in the bottom of the seventh inning with two outs and two strikes. Desi Cuevas tripled down the right field line to get herself into scoring position. Gracey Brink, then after taking a pair of strikes, doubled into right field to score Cuevas and tie the game at two.
 
With the Washburn Invitational using the international tie-break rule, a runner was placed on second base to start the eighth inning. That runner for ESU scored which proved to be the game-winning run in eight innings.
 
Augustana recorded five hits in the contest with two from Cuevas and one each from Cain, Brink and Liz Dierks. Grace Glanzer was charged with the loss after giving up her first earn run of the season while striking out nine.
 
Game Two: Augustana 13, Maryville 5
 
The Saints put three runs on the scoreboard in the first inning, first an unearned run to make it 1-0, then a bases-clearing double for a 3-0 score.
 
The Vikings knotted things up in the bottom of the second inning. With a single to center field, Nicole Bellis reached base then was advanced to third on a base-hit by Liz Dierks. Andrea Cain hit a sacrifice fly to score Bellis. The next batter, Desi Cuevas, reached base on an error but scored Lexi Lander for the 3-2 score.
 
A bases loaded walk by Torri Chute scored Dierks to knot the game at 3-3.
 
The see-saw battle saw the Saints regain the lead a 4-3 top of the third. Augustana wasted little time to knot things back up as Lexi Lander doubled into left field to score Ashton Dorman. Dorman was on base thanks to a four-pitch walk.
 
Augustana then garnered the lead at 5-4 on the game's second bases-loaded walk. This time it was Gracey Brink drawing the walk on five pitches to score Lander.
 
The runs then poured on with three runs in each of the fourth and fifth innings then two runs in the sixth run-ruled for the victory.
 
The final two runs were courtesy of a Gracey Brink home run down the left-field line to also score Desi Cuevas who had reached base via a triple.
 
Lander earned the victory in the circle with 4.2 innings pitched with two strikeouts.
 
Augustana racked up 13 hits with two each from Cain, Brink, Kennedy Buckman and Dierks. Brink tallied three RBI while Cain had two.
 
Up Next
Augustana closes the Washburn Invitational Sunday with a 10 a.m. game against Northwest Missouri State at 10 a.m. and against host, Washburn, at 2 p.m.