WINONA, Minn. – Augustana battled throughout Saturday's conference doubleheader at Winona State, rallying late in both games but ultimately falling 9-8 in the opener and 10-6 in game two at M. Johnson Field.

Winona State 9, Augustana 8
The Vikings piled up 14 hits and erased an early deficit but came up just short in a back-and-forth opener.

Winona State struck quickly with a five-run first inning, highlighted by a three-run home run, to put Augustana in an early hole. The Vikings responded in the second, loading the bases and capitalizing on patient at-bats. Claire Wynja delivered an RBI single before Kierra Lubovich and Sidney Smart each drew bases-loaded walks to cut the deficit to 5-3.

The Warriors answered with four runs in the third to extend their lead to 9-3, but Augustana refused to go away. In the fourth, Smart doubled home a run and Stella Harber followed with an RBI single to trim the margin to 9-5.

Augustana continued to chip away as Harber doubled and Norah Christiansen drove her in with a single in the sixth to make it 9-6. The Vikings made things interesting in the seventh, scoring twice on RBI singles from Lubovich and Harber, but the rally fell just short.

Harber led the offense with three hits and two RBI while Christiansen added three hits and an RBI. Wynja collected two hits and drove in a run, and Lubovich and Smart each added two RBI.

Winona State 10, Augustana 6
Augustana again showed late fight, but a big inning by the Warriors proved to be the difference in game two.

After Winona State took a 1-0 lead in the first, the Vikings evened things in the second as Sidney Smart singled and came around to score on an RBI groundout from Ella Cooper.

The game turned in the third inning when Winona State erupted for six runs, using a combination of timely hits and a three-run home run to build a 7-1 advantage.

Augustana chipped away with solo home runs from Kierra Lubovich in the fourth and Ella Cooper in the fifth to cut into the deficit. The Vikings continued to apply pressure late, stringing together hits in the seventh. Wynja delivered a two-run single and another run scored on a defensive miscue to bring Augustana within 10-6.

Andrea Cain led the Vikings with three hits while Wynja drove in two runs. Smart added a pair of hits and Cooper and Lubovich each homered in the effort.

Up Next
Augustana returns home next weekend as it faces Southwest Minnesota State in a doubleheader slated for a 3 p.m. start.