SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - The Augustana baseball team split a Thursday set against Minnesota Duluth, falling 8-6 via walk-off before a commanding 21-3 victory at Ronken Field.
The Vikings move to 14-9 overall and 9-5 in the NSIC while the Bulldogs shift to 12-11, 8-6
Game 1: Minnesota Duluth 8, Augustana 6
The Bulldogs marched back from a three-run deficit in the final inning to earn a victory in game one.
Bjorn Lind had three hits, two runs scored and two RBI to lead the offense while
Jason Axelberg added two hits, including a home run.
Ethan Cole struck out three in six innings while earning a no-decision. He allowed six runs, four earned, while
Maddox Foss was dealt the loss after giving up a pair of runs.
Lind singled with one out and moved to second on a Hines single to get the pair on. With two outs, Berg drew a walk with a full count to load the bases. After Lind came home on a wild pitch,
Joshua Koskie squibbed one in front of the pitcher, spinning past and allowing him to reach first to bring in Hines and make it 2-0.
UMD scored a pair in the bottom of the first to even the score. In the top of the second, Clementi got a base knock and then Winterstein doubled with one out to get the pair in scoring position.
Both came home six pitches later when Lind parked one in front of the center fielder to give AU a 4-2 lead and reached third when the ball was kicked away. He would score on a Hines sac fly and Axelberg sent a 1-1 pitch over the fence in left to make it 6-2 AU.
The Bulldogs scored a run in the third to get within three and then scored five runs in the bottom of the seventh to win.
Game 2: Augustana 21, Minnesota Duluth 3
11 different Vikings had hits while all nine starters reached base at least once in a dominant win.
Trevor Winterstein,
Jack Hines and
Joe Kolbeck each went 3 for 3 as Winterstein scored two runs and drove in three, Hines scored twice and Kolbeck had two runs and four RBI.
Joshua Koskie scored three runs while walking four times and
Nate Soelter hit his first career home run.
Matt Brown earned the start, getting an out and allowing a run.
Aidan Torpey carried the bulk of the workload, going 4 2/3 innings while allowing just a run on two hits and striking out four.
Will Henry threw the sixth inning and
Tom Sun threw the seventh in the win.
The Vikings opened the game with six runs on five hits to send a message after the walk-off loss. Winterstein,
Bjorn Lind and Hines opened the game with singles to fill the bases. Winterstein scored on a fielder's choice that retired Lind and Hines scored on a dropped fly ball.
With the bases loaded,
Jake Lundquist wore a pitch, followed by a two run single from Kolbeck and an RBI single from Winterstein to make it 6-0 Vikings.
After a Bulldog run in the bottom of the first, the offense hammered UMD pitching in the third to put the game out of reach. Koskie walked, Siegel singled and Lundquist brought Koskie in when he reached on an error.
Kolbeck drove in Siegel with a single before he and Lundquist scored on a Winterstein double to make it 10-1. Lind welcomed a new pitcher with a single and Hines drove Winterstein in with a single of his own. Axelberg did his part right after, scoring both Lind and Hines with a double down the left field line to add to the lead.
With two outs, Axelberg got to third on a passed ball and Koskie walked. Siegel drove Axelberg home with a single while Lundquist loaded the bases with a single. Kolbeck capped the scoring when he drew a bases loaded walk to make it 15-1.
Cal Schmelzle pinch hit in the fourth inning and doubled before an Axelberg single put runners on the corners. Schmelzle ended up coming in on a double play to add a run to the staggering lead.
In the fifth, Kolbeck got plunked with one out, leading to a Soelter at bat. He launched a ball to centerfield, shooting over the fence for his first career blast to continue the lead extension.
The Vikings wrapped up the scoring with three runs in the sixth.
Carter Heinsch singled off the pitcher and
Nate Davis was hit by a pitch to open the inning. Koskie grounded out to move them both in scoring position and
Ragan Pinnow singled Heinsch home.
Lundquist would reach on a fielder's choice to bring in Davis. Kolbeck and Soelter each reached base to reload the bases and Lind would get hit after a pitching change to round out the AU scoring. The Bulldogs scored a run in the bottom of the seventh to bring the game to its final score.
The teams will play a pair of games on Friday, with first pitch set for noon.
