Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – Augustana celebrated Senior Day Tuesday by sweeping a doubleheader from North Park, 9-1 and 6-3, at Carver Field. The Vikings honored seniors Laura Behnke (St. Francis HS, Roselle, Ill.), Jenna Teson (Jacobs HS, Algonquin, Ill.), Chelsea Lavin (Downers Grove South HS, Downers Grove, Ill.), Christie Wiersema (Morrison HS, Morrison, Ill.), Christina Pagan (West HS, Normal, Ill.) and Cassie Saufley (Normal West HS, Hudson, Ill.) between games. Augustana improved to 25-12-1 on the season and 7-7 in the CCIW, clinching a spot in the conference tournament. North Park dropped to 6-32 overall and 2-12 in the league.
 
AUGUSTANA 9, NORTH PARK 1
 
The hosts broke open a 2-1 game with two runs in the fifth and five in the sixth to end the opener an inning early.
 
North Park parlayed singles by Paige Massa, Courtney Iida and Nicole Kruckman into a run in the top of the first to go up 1-0. Augustana starter Ashley Anderson (Sherrard HS, Viola, Ill.) fanned the other three batters in the inning.
 
Behnke gave Augustana the lead in the bottom of the second, singling in pinch-runner Jordan Arndt (Lockport HS, Lockport, Ill.) and junior Jennifer Gray (Lincoln-Way West HS, Mokena, Ill.), who had singled.
 
Ashley Anderson and North Park's Katy Ortinau put up goose eggs until the Augustana fifth. Teson drew a leadoff walk and one out later, stole second. She moved to third on Lavin's ground out and scored on an infield hit by freshman Zayne Blumberg (Rock Canyon HS, Denver, Colo.). Blumberg stole second and eventually scored when Saufley doubled off the left field fence, narrowly missing a home run.
 
Augustana scored five in the fifth after two were out. Behnke's two-out walk started things. Teson singled her to third and then stole second. Junior Kendra Rakers (Belleville West, Millstadt, Ill.) singled in both runners and advanced to second on the throw home. Sophomore pinch-hitter Amanda Ebert (Geneva HS, Geneva, Ill.) plated Rakers with an infield hit, stole second and scored on Allie Bettenhausen's (Lincoln-Way West HS, Mokena, Ill.) double to left. Blumberg re-entered for Bettnhausen and scored the game-ending run on Saufley's second RBI double in as many innings.
 
Ashley Anderson surrendered one run on seven hits in five innings to get the win and improve to 8-7 on the year Ortinau took the loss. Saufley and Blumberg each had a pair of hits. Saufley, Behnke and Rakers knocked in two runs apiece and Teson and Blumberg each scored twice.
 
AUGUSTANA 6, NORTH PARK 3
 
The designated visiting team in game two, Augustana jumped out in front with four runs in top of the first. Behnke, Teson and Lavin—the first three batters of the game, all singled, with Lavin's hit plating Behnke. One out later Wiersema, Augustana's starting pitcher, helped her own cause with a two-run double down the left field line. A sacrifice fly off the bat of sophomore Ashley Klauss (Trinity HS, Chicago, Ill.) scored Wiersema with the final run of the frame.
 
North Park answered with a run in the bottom half on an Iida sacrifice fly and Augustana got it back in the top of the third, with Klauss knocking in another run with a fielder's choice grounder.
 
Wiersema pitched out of a one-out, bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the third, getting a strikeout and a groundout to end the inning.
 
Freshman Shelby Grandt (Broomfield HS, Broomfield, Colo.) came on to relieve Wiersema to start the fourth. She got through the fourth and fifth without incident, but North Park got to her for two runs, one of which was unearned, in the sixth. Kruckman, Meagan Bura and Kaileigh Moertl started the frame with singles. Moertl's hit scored pinch-runner Maddi Griebling. The next batter, Sara Due reached on an error with Bura scoring to make it 5-3. However, Lavin's throw cut down Moertl trying to advance to third. Grandt coaxed a pop out and the ended the frame with a strikeout.
 
Grandt helped her own cause with an RBI single in the top of the seventh, but Augustana left the bases loaded.
 
In the bottom half, North Park loaded the bases with one out and Coach Kris Kistler called on Alaina Hofmann (Moline HS, Moline, Ill.) to relieve Grandt. The freshman right-hander induced a double play grounder from Bura to end the game.
 
Led by three from Lavin, Augustana had 13 hits in the game. Teson, Wiersema, Saufley and Kassandra Anderson (Geneseo HS, Silvis, Ill.) had two each. Wiersema and Klauss each knocked in two runs. Grant got the win to improve to 9-3 on the year. Hofmann earned her first save.