The #22 Vikings of Augustana University (31-11, 22-4 NSIC) controlled a pair of Northern Sun Conference games in Sioux Falls, S.D. on Friday afternoon. The home team used big innings in each game to get away from the Peacocks (14-25, 10-18) and sweep the double header.
In game one, the Vikings scored a run in the first and second innings, but the Peacocks rallied in the top of the third to tie the game 2-2 when Luis Ravelo tripled with a runner on and scored on a throwing error on the same play.
Augustana pushed out to a 7-2 lead in the bottom of the third inning thanks to four hits and three Peacock errors. All five runs by the Vikings were unearned due to the miscues in the field by Upper Iowa. The home team put the game away in the fourth and fifth innings with six runs on seven hits and two more Peacock errors to take a 13-2 lead.
Jacob Greco homered to lead off the sixth inning for the Peacocks, but Augustana answered with six runs on six hits in the bottom of the frame. UIU put the last run on the board when
Sam Broome walked and then came around to score on a wild pitch to set the final score at 19-4.
Tyus Adkins (4-4) took the loss after his 4 innings; he allowed 11 runs, only 4 earned, on 12 hits while striking out 2 batters.
Mitch Silberstein threw 2 innings of relief for UIU.
Anthony Calton had two hits in the game.
Augie was the first team to score in game two with a pair of runs in the bottom of the third inning, but Upper Iowa tied the game at 2-2 in the top of the fourth. A Calton double to left brought in Greco and
Alex George for the Peacocks' two runs.
Just like in game one, the Vikings didn't let UIU stay tied with them for long. Augie exploded for 13 runs on 8 hits and 3 Peacock errors as 13 straight Vikings reached base; the scoring was capped off by a Patrick O'Donnell three-run home run, his third of the day.
Upper Iowa scored four runs in the sixth inning on four hits including a Greco double to center, an rbi-double by George, an rbi-single from Jacob Stenberg, a sac fly from Calton and an rbi-single from
Logan Bima.
After the Vikings scored a run in the sixth, Ravelo homered to right for the Peacocks to answer in the top of the seventh.
Augustana scored a run in the eighth to push their lead to ten, 17-7, and end the game due to the NSIC run-rule.
Zach Carstens, who pushed his scoreless innings streak to 18 before allowing the runs in the third and fourth, took the loss to fall to 2-4 this season. The senior allowed 13 runs, only 6 earned, on 11 hits in 3.1 innings.
Sawyer Bawek threw 2 innings of relief, while
Ross Kulick finished the game on the mound allowing just one run in his 2.1 innings. George and Calton each had two hits in the game.
The Peacocks and Vikings will return to Karras Park on Augustana's campus on Sunday, May 1, to wrap up the four-game series beginning at 12 p.m.
