Box Score CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – For the second straight day, Augustana rode a strong effort in the circle by Sarah Hintz (Le Roy HS, Le Roy, Ill.) and a pair of home runs to a win over a ranked opponent at the NCAA softball regional at Coe College. On Saturday, it was the 11th-ranked host Kohawks (36-9) that went down to defeat 5-1 as the Vikings improved to 35-11 on the year. Coach Kris Kistler's 22nd-ranked squad is the only one still unbeaten in the tournament and will play St. Thomas on Sunday, May 11 at noon with a chance to move on to the Super Regional next weekend. The Tommies would have to defeat Augustana twice to prevent that from happening.
 
Hintz was the story in Saturday's game at Clark Field. She not only threw her 18th complete game of the season—and fifth in nine calendar days—to move to 19-4, she also came up with the game's biggest hit, a three-run homer to right center in the bottom of the fourth that put the Vikings up 4-1.
 
Coe did its only damage against Hintz in the top of the first when Abby Flannagan hit a two-out, solo homer to left to give the Kohawks a 1-0 lead. The advantage was short-lived, however, as an RBI double to the gap in left center by sophomore Ashley Anderson (Sherrard HS, Viola, Ill.) scored junior Laura Behnke (St. Francis HS, Roselle, Ill.) with the tying run in the bottom of the first. Behnke had started the frame with a single to center.
 
Augustana had a chance to take the lead in the third when Anderson singled with two on and two out, but Kohawk right fielder Nicole Gentile cut down Jenna Teson (Jacobs HS, Algonquin, Ill.) trying to score from second to end the inning and leave two runners stranded.
 
Hintz made sure the Vikings didn't miss a similar opportunity in the fourth. Jennifer Gray (Lincoln-Way East HS, Mokena, Ill.) drew a walk to start the frame, but was forced at second on an unsuccessful sacrifice attempt by Chelsea Lavin (Downers Grove South HS, Downers Grove, Ill.). Junior Christina Pagan (Normal West HS, Normal, Ill.) singled to left, advancing Lavin to second and knocking Coe starter Arran Weeces out in favor of Maddison Woodruff. The first batter Woodruff faced, Hintz, launched a three-run homer to right center, her first of the season, for a 4-1 Augustana advantage.
 
The Vikings added an insurance run in the sixth when Pagan hit her first home run of the season, a two-out shot to left.
 
A one-out, pinch hit single in the fifth by Erin Lang was the only hit Hintz allowed after Flannagan's first-inning homer. The senior right-hander issued one walk and fanned seven in a two-hit complete game. In addition, she was 1-for-3 with three RBI at the plate. Pagan finished 2-for-3 with two runs scored and Anderson had a pair of hits in three at-bats as well.