Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
CLERMONT, Florida – Pitchers Sarah Hintz (Le Roy HS, Le Roy, Ill.) and Ashley Anderson (Sherrard HS, Viola, Ill.) each went the distance for victories Monday as Coach Kris Kisteler's 15th-ranked Augustana softball team improved to 5-1 with wins over Aurora (3-2) and Illinois College (9-1). Junior left fielder Laura Behnke (St. Francis HS, Roselle, Ill.) had a triple in the opener and a home run and five RBI in the night cap. On Tuesday, March 4, the Vikings continue play in Florida, facing Adrian at 8:00 a.m. central time and Susquehanna at 10:00.
 
AUGUSTANA 3, AURORA 2
 
Trailing 2-1 going to the top of the seventh, the Vikings rallied for two runs to take the lead. Sophomore Jennifer Gray (Lincoln-Way East HS, Mokena, Ill.) drew a one-out walk and junior Jenna Teson (Jacobs HS, Algonquin, Ill.) coaxed a two-out base-on-balls. Senior Krista Watson (Coal City HS, Coal City, Ill.) was hit by a pitch to load the bases and Anderson reached on an error, scoring Gray with the tying run. Teson came home with the go-ahead run when senior Jaime Rehmert (Sterling HS, Sterling, Ill.) drew another walk. Hintz pitched around a leadoff single in the bottom of the frame to secure the victory.
 
After Augustana left the bases loaded in the top of the fourth, the Spartans jumped out in front with an unearned run in the bottom half.
 
The Vikings tied it in the sixth when Watson stroked a leadoff triple to right and scored on Anderson's RBI single. However, Aurora came right back to regain the lead in the bottom of the inning. Laura Dierrking and Sarah Clauser had back-to-back one-out singles and Vanessa Wegner followed with a walk to load the bases. Stephanie Starr singled in the go-ahead run, but Hintz retired the next two batters to escape further damage.
 
Hintz, a senior right-hander, moved to 3-0 with the win. She allowed four hits, walked two and struck out three in seven innings. Augustana's offense produced just four hits – one each from the first four batters in Kistler's order. In addition to Watson's triple, Behnke had a three-bagger as well.
 
Aurora dropped to 0-3 with the loss.
 
AUGUSTANA 9, ILLINOIS COLLEGE 1
 
The Vikings had an easier time of it in their second game of the day, busting open a 1-1 tie with three runs in the second and five in the third.
 
The Lady Blues parlayed singles by Courtney Kwasnitza and Paige Meyer and a walk into a run in the top of the first and Augustana responded in kind in the bottom half. Teson singled, stole second, moved to third on a Watson single and scored on a ground out by Anderson to even the score at 1-1 after one.
 
After Anderson stranded two Illinois College runners in the top of the second, The Viking bats went back to work. With one out, junior Christie Wiersema (Morrison HS, Morrison, Ill.) reach on an error and senior Chaney Tambling (Dwight HS, Dwight, Ill.) walked. One out later Behnke came to the plate and launched her second home run of the season to make it 4-1 Augustana.
 
The Vikings pout the game away with five more in the third. Anderson started things wityh a one-out double to left. After a Rehmert single, junior Christina Pagan (Normal West HS, Normal, Ill.) drove in Anderson with another single. Tambling and Behnke each added a two-run single later in the frame.
 
Anderson, the sophomore lefty, moved to 2-1 on the year with the win. She allowed four hits and a walk, fanning five in a five-inning complete game. Behnke finished 2-for-3 with a run scored and five driven in. Tambling scored twice and drove in two and Wiersema scored twice as well.