BISMARCK, N.D. - The No. 9 Augustana baseball team earned a spot in the final of the winner's bracket with a 12-5 victory over Wayne State on Friday afternoon at Municipal Ballpark. 

The Vikings (43-8) will play Minnesota State on Friday at noon for a spot in the NSIC Championship game. The Wildcats (27-22) fall to the loser's bracket. 

NSIC Player of the Year Jack Hines went 4 for 5 with three runs scored and four RBI while hitting a double and a home run. He led an offense that scattered 15 hits and scored double digits for their sixth consecutive game. 

Max Mosser had two hits, two runs scored and three RBI while setting the table for Hines. Sam Siegel and Joe Kolbeck each had two hits after entering as pinch hitters. Drey Dirksen walked three times while Luke Ballweg went 1 for 1 with two walks. 

In relief, Ethan Cole earned the victory after striking out four in two shutout innings. Caleb Kranz earned a save after allowing an earned run and striking out eight in four innings. 

The Wildcats scored a run in the first, taking a lead that was quickly erased as a Mosser double and Hines home run gave the Vikings their first lead of the day at 2-1 after an inning of action.     

In the second, Parker Mooney and Ballweg each had one out singles to get runners on the corners. Nick Banowetz battled through an 0-2 count and was able to lift a fly ball to right, allowing Mooney to score on a sac fly to grow the lead to 3-1.

WSC scored a pair of runs in the third inning. To lead off the bottom of the fourth, Ballweg walked, Banowetz singled, and Ryan Clementi was hit by a pitch to load the bases with nobody out. 

After scoring the tying run in the first, Mosser was able to drive in the go-ahead run with a two run single to score Ballweg and Banowetz. Hines followed with a single to score Celmenti to make it 6-3. 

The Vikings scored two more runs as Dirksen and Tate Meiners each recorded sac flies to grow that lead to 8-3. 

AU tacked on three more runs in the bottom of the fifth to push the game even further out of reach. Siegel singled to lead off the inning as a pinch hitter and then Ballweg and Banowetz each walked to load the bases. 

Clementi scored Siegel on a sac fly and Mosser followed with an RBI single to score Kolbeck. Two pitches later it was Hines' turn as he singled to center to bring in Banowetz and cap the inning.

Meiners rounded out the scoring with an RBI single in the seventh inning. The Wildcats scored the final three runs of the game after it had been put out of reach.