BOX SCORE 1 | BOX SCORE 2 SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The Augustana softball team picked up a pair of wins Sunday at Drury to claim the series victory with a game to play. The Vikings claimed an 8-inning 11-3 win in game one while a run-rule 5-inning win occurred in game two, 9-0.
 
Augustana moves to 10-6 on the season while Drury falls to 10-12.
 
Game One: Augustana 11, Drury 3
Nicole Bellis singled in the go-ahead run in the top of the eighth inning to help push the Vikings to victory in the 11-3 win. The late offense overcame a slow start for AU in the batter's box.
 
The home team broke a scoreless contest in the bottom of the fourth as T Hartsell hit a home run over the center field fence for a 2-0 advantage.
 
The Vikings threatened in the top of the fifth with back-to-back singles. First, it was a single by Nicole Bellis into center field. Stella Harber followed suit and singled into left field. However, the two runners were stranded leaving the score at 2-0 in favor of Drury.
 
In the bottom of the fifth, the Panthers scratched a run across the plate to make it 3-0.
 
A leadoff Desi Cuevas triple set the tone for AU in the top of the sixth. Her triple just missed out on a four-bag hit, but after a Kennedy Buckman walk, Torri Chute hit a no-doubt home run over the center field fence to tie the game at 3-3.
 
In the top of the seventh, Andrea Cain gave the ball a ride to left field, but the left field made the catch at the wall to keep the score knotted at three.
 
In the eighth, Buckman drew a walk and advanced to third base on a double by Chute. Bellis stepped into the batter's box with one out and simply hit a sharp single into left field for the go-ahead run.
 
That opened the floodgates for Augustana as Chute scored on a Harber double and Bellis was brought home on a Liz Dierks bunt single. Andrea Cain then doubled to left field to score Harber making the score 7-3. Cuevas cleared the bases as she singled into right field to empty the bases and the 9-3 score.
 
As the Vikings batted around the order, two more runs were plated for the 11-3 score.
 
Of the Vikings' 14 hits, Cuevas and Chute each recorded three while Chute totaled four RBI. Multi-hit games also came from the bats of Bellis and Harber.
 
Haley Grimmius picked up the win for AU in the circle with her three innings pitched while striking out four.
 
Game Two: Augustana 9, Drury 0
Augustana jumped on the scoreboard early as Desi Cuevas hit a home run over the left-field fence to make it 1-0 just two batters into the game.
 
The Vikings followed with a fruitful second inning, plating four runs in the frame. After Torri Chute drew a walk, she was doubled home by Ashton Dorman. Two batters later, it was 3-0 as Stella Harber doubled in Dorman.
 
Liz Dierks smacked a double into left field to score Nicole Bellis who was on base thanks to a walk for a 4-0 contest. The final run of the inning came on a sacrifice fly by Cuevas.
 
Two more runs were plated in the fourth inning as Dierks scored on a passed ball, then Andrea Cain touched home plate as Gracey Brink reached first base on a spinning infield bloop that was ruled an error.
 
In the fifth inning, the game was pushed to 8-0 on an Ashton Dorman single into right field to score Chute. A couple of batters later, Dorman was crossing home plate on a Cain sacrifice fly.
 
In all, Augustana totaled nine hits with two each from Chute, Dorman, Harber and Dierks while Cuevas' home run was the ninth hit for AU.
 
Lexi Lander pitched the five-inning complete game by allowing five hits and no runs.
 
Up Next
Augustana remains in Springfield to complete a three-game set with the Panthers on Monday. First pitch is slated for noon.