MANKATO, Minn. – After taking game one of a Saturday road doubleheader, Augustana softball clinched the outright NSIC regular season title—its fifth straight championship—before adding in a game two win to sweep the Mavericks 3-0 and 7-1.
 
The Vikings improve to 43-9 overall and 25-3 in conference action while the Mavericks drop to 35-17 and 19-7.
 
GAME ONE: No. 11 Augustana 3, Minnesota State 0
The Vikings took control early and knocked out a total of nine hits throughout the first game to claim the 3-0 shutout win.
 
Desi Cuevas was hit by pitch in her first at-bat before stealing second base, but would not advance any further in the first inning. Grace Glanzer helped hold off the home team from the circle to bring the Vikings—and Ella Cooper—up to the plate.
 
She rocketed a solo homerun over the left field fence in her first visit to the plate on the day to open up the scoring. Norah Christiansen soon followed that up with a solo shot of her own, also out of left field, to push Augustana ahead 2-0.
 
The Mavericks were downed in order in the bottom of the second inning and AU again made the most of it.
 
Andrea Cain knocked a single up the middle on her first pitch of the at-bat and scored off the ensuing double to left field from Cuevas. Her trip around the bases made it a 3-0 game for Augustana and the score would not change for the rest of the afternoon.
 
Minnesota State was taken down in order three more times during the first game and no base runner would make it past second base.
 
Cain led with a 3-for-4 showing at the plate while Ashton Dorman added in two hits. Three Vikings combined for the team's three RBI as Cuevas logged the lone stolen base and Cooper tallied 10 putouts.
 
Glanzer improved to 21-6 in the circle after seven innings of work. She allowed just two hits while collecting six strikeouts in the shutout victory.
 
GAME TWO: No. 12 Augustana 7, Minnesota State 1
The scoreless stalemate wasn't broken until the latter half of the game, but it was broken in dominant fashion for Augustana as multi-run homers pushed the visitors ahead for the convincing 7-1 win.
 
Minnesota State held the 2-1 hit advantage after two complete innings of action—which eventually grew to a 4-2 differential after three—until the Vikings lit it up in the top of the fifth.
 
The highlight reel started with a double to right field from Christiansen, who Hailey Houston came in to pinch run for. She advanced off a sacrifice bunt from Sidney Smart and was joined on base after Liz Dierks singled to the pitcher and stole second base.
 
Cain sent a shot down the left field line to score both Houston and Dierks and advance to second. Cuevas reached on an error to advance Cain before advancing herself off a wild pitch.
 
That brought Lexi Lander up to bat, who smashed a three-run homer out of the park over left field to clear the bases and put Augustana ahead 5-0.
 
Dorman then drew a walk and forced a pitching change for the Mavericks. But the rally didn't stop there. Stella Harber sent a rocket out to right center for the two-run homerun and the 7-0 lead.
 
Lander collected three straight strikeouts in the bottom of the fifth and Minnesota State would plate one run in the sixth, but would get no closer. The home team proceeded to fall in order again in the bottom of the seventh to end the game and give Augustana its 18th straight win of the season.
 
Christiansen and Cuevas each added in two hits while six other Vikings tallied one apiece. Lander led with three RBI and Cain and Harber each collected two RBI. Dierks logged the lone stolen base of game two as Harber notched the lone drawn walk.
 
In the circle, Lander earned the win after seven innings pitched. She allowed just one unearned run with six strikeouts to improve to 19-3 overall this year.
 
UP NEXT
Augustana sets its sights on the NSIC Softball Championships, which will be hosted on home turf at Bowden Field. Action will kick off on Wednesday, April 30 and last through Saturday, May 3.