SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - The No. 13 Augustana baseball team opened Super Regional action on Thursday afternoon, falling 6-1 to No. 22 Central Missouri at Crane Stadium.
Records
Augustana 45-15
Central Missouri 38-15
Brandon Weigel and
Maddox Foss had two hits apiece, recording half of the eight Viking hits.
Nate Soelter had a hit and scored the lone run while
Kobe Eikmeier drove him in with the only Viking extra base hit.
Ethan Hoffman got the start, exiting a 2-1 ball game before finishing with four runs allowed on eight hits and a walk, striking out three in 6 1/3 innings.
Ryan Clementi allowed a pair and got an out while
Jadon Bast finished the seventh. Bast would also get the first out of the eighth before Hanson got the final two.
Weigel led off the first inning with an infield single but was stranded in scoring position to open the game. After a pair of singles for the Mules started the bottom of the inning, Hoffman picked off a runner at second and then forced groundouts to second and to short to keep the game scoreless.
In the second,
Bjorn Lind reached on a single to right with two outs but was left at first. Hoffman forced a ground out and fly out in the bottom of the inning before a two-out walk. He would steal second before a flyout to Weigel capped the inning.
The Vikings were able to open the scoring in the third inning. With two outs, Soelter singled through the left side and Eikmeier followed with a double down the left field line on the first pitch he saw, bringing home Soelter and giving AU a 1-0 edge. Hoffman held the lead in the bottom of the frame, picking up a strikeout and followed a hit batter with a 6-4-3 double play.
That score held until a solo blast in the bottom of the fifth inning to even the score at 1-1. In the bottom of the seventh, the Mules exploded for five, capped by a grand slam to take a 6-1 lead into the eighth inning.
The Vikings will have their backs against the wall on Friday, serving as the home team for game two against the Mules at 3 p.m.
