MANDAN, N.D. - The No. 9 Augustana baseball team locked up its spot in the NSIC championship game with a 10-7 victory over Minnesota State on Friday afternoon at BNC Field. 

The Vikings had 13 hits while scoring double digits for the seventh consecutive game. It was the bottom of the order that did the offensive damage as spots 5-9 in the order each had two hits. Tate Meiners had two hits and a run scored and Max Mosser had two hits and two RBI. 

Luke Ballweg added two hits, two RBI and a run scored and Parker Mooney went 2 for 2 with a home run, two runs and two RBI Jason Axelberg had two more hits in the nine hole. 

J.D. Hennen moved to 6-0 on the year with six strikeouts in seven innings while allowing four runs. Will Henry entered in the eighth inning and allowed just one hit and struck out three over the final two frames to earn his third save of the season. 

For the third consecutive game, the Vikings fell behind 1-0 early. In the bottom of the second inning, Drey Dirksen had a single to lead off the frame and later advanced to second with two outs. 

Ballweg delivered a clutch single to tie the game and Mooney sent a blast to right field, giving AU a 3-1 lead after two innings. 

Ryan Clementi led off the third inning with a double and came around on a one out single from Jack Hines to open a three run inning. A Meiners single and Mosser single helped bring him home and Meiners scored on a Ballweg single to give the Vikings a 6-1 lead. 

AU added four runs in the fourth to round out its scoring. Mooney wore a pitch and Axelberg doubled to get a pair in scoring position. Clementi brought the first run of the inning home on a sac fly. 

Nick Banowetz had a sac fly of his own to bring home Axelberg. Hines drew a walk with two outs and the bases empty and then ended up at third on a failed pickoff. He scored on a wild pitch when Dirksen walked and then after a Meiners hit, Mosser drove Dirksen home with a single to give the Vikings a 10-1 advantage. 

The Mavericks stormed back with six runs in the eighth inning to get within three. Henry entered the game with no outs, two on and the score at 10-6 and picked up a strikeout, sac fly, and pop out to limit the damage. 

In the ninth, Henry put the finishing touches on the game with a pair of strikeouts and a fly out around a one-out single to help AU advance. 

The Vikings (44-8) will play at noon on Saturday against an unknown opponent. There are three teams remaining in the loser's bracket. Wayne State and Concordia-St. Paul are playing now, with the winner taking on Minnesota State (36-17) tonight. The Vikings will know their opponent following tonight's action.