Augustana Baseball knocks off UMC in regular season finale
SIOUX FALLS, S. D. (Augustana) – Following a year hiatus, the Augustana baseball team has returned atop the throne of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.
With an 8-0 victory over Minnesota Crookston, the Vikings won the NSIC Regular Season Championship for the fifth time in program history and fourth in the last five seasons. Records Augustana 36-13, 29-7 NSIC Minnesota Crookston 26-22, 19-17 NSIC Kobe Eikmeier went 3 for 3 with two RBI in the nine hole and Ryan Clementi had two hits, two RBI and two runs scored batting eighth to provide a punch at the bottom of the order. Nate Soelter added two hits while Ragan Pinnow had a hit and walked twice.
Joel Van De Stroet moved to 3-2 on the season after striking out 10 in five hitless innings. Myles Hanson allowed a pair of hits and struck out two in two innings and Riley Rothschadl tossed the final two innings, collecting a strikeout to close out the regular season. Clementi reached on a bunt single with two outs in the second inning before moving to second on a wild pitch.
Eikmeier lifted a high fly ball into no-man’s land in a 1-2 count, having the ball nestle in for a double and a run to open the scoring. The runs kept coming for the Vikings, scoring on a wild pitch in the fourth, sac fly in the fifth and a sac bunt in the sixth to grow a 4-0 lead. The offense broke through in the seventh to put the game out of reach.
Carter Heinsch led off with a walk and moved to second on a wild pitch. Pinnow singled to get runners on the corners and Heinsch scored on a Troy Berg fielder’s choice. Later in the inning, Berg and Bjorn Lind reached scoring position with two outs and Clementi came through with a two-run single.