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MOLINE, Ill. – Sophomore pitcher Kyle McGinley (Mullen HS, Denver, Colo.) went eight strong innings in the nightcap Friday to help 24th-ranked Augustana earn a doubleheader split with Carthage at Swanson Stadium/Brunner Field. The Red Men took the opener 5-4, with the Vikings bouncing back behind McGinley to win the second game 7-3. Augustana is now 18-5 on the season and 5-2 in the CCIW, while Carthage is 15-3 overall and 6-1 in the league. The teams are scheduled to complete the series with a single game at Swanson/Brunner on Saturday, April 4 at noon.
 
CARTHAGE 5, AUGUSTANA 4
 
Both starting pitchers—Josh Daniels of the Red Men and the Vikings' Seth Davis (Mullen HS, Aurora, Colo.)—went the distance in the first game.
 
Trailing 5-3 going to the bottom of the ninth, Augustana got a one-out double from junior Jeff Prior (Rock Canyon HS, Lone Tree, Colo.). The next batter, freshman Tommy Kiriakopoulos (Huntley HS, Lake in the Hills, Ill.), was hit by a pitch. One out later, senior Brandon Jasper's (Central HS, DeWitt, Iowa) single to left plated Prior and moved the tying run into scoring position, but Daniels induced a game-ending fly to center from junior Nathan Gray (Rock Island HS, Rock Island, Ill.).
 
The Vikings took a 3-0 lead with a run in the third and two in the fourth. Kiriakopoulos had a one-out single and Jasper doubled him in with the game's first run. In the fourth, senior Danny Fifer (Lincoln-Way West HS, New Lenox, Ill.) had a leadoff single, followed by a walk to junior John Swiderski (Geneva HS, Geneva, Ill.) and a Daniels balk. Junior Trace Gingerich (Sherrard HS, Sherrard, Ill.) then reached on an error which scored both Fifer and Swiderski.
 
After stranding seven Red Men in the first four innings, Davis gave up a run in the fifth on Graham Wick's two-out RBI double to center. Carthage took the lead with three in the sixth. Reed Hero's two-out, two-run single to center was the big hit.
 
The visitors added what turned out to be a huge insurance run in the top of the ninth. Hero reached on an error leading off. Jared Helmich sacrificed pinch-runner Matt Cmiel to second and Matt Rave followed with an RBI single to center.
 
Daniels allowed eight hits and three earned runs. He walked one and fanned seven to improve to 3-0 on the year. Davis suffered his first loss after five wins. He scattered a dozen hits, gave up four earned runs, walked one and fanned 15.
 
Jasper, Prior and Kiriakopoulos led the Viking offense with two hits each. Jasper also drove in two runs. Nick Schmidlkofer had three hits and two runs scored for the Red Men.
 
AUGUSTANA 7, CARTHAGE 3
 
McGinley held Carthage hitless through four innings in the nightcap. Meanwhile, his teammates staked him to a 5-0 lead with two runs in the first and three in the fourth.
 
Jasper had a leadoff double down the third base line in the first and scored on a Fifer single to center. After the Vikings loaded the bases and had a runner cut down at the plate, senior Kyle Lenihan (Romeoville HS, Romeoville, Ill.) knocked Fifer in with a sacrifice fly to left. Swiderski's two-run single was the big hit in the third.
 
The Red Men finally got to McGinley for an unearned run in the fifth, but he struck out Anthony Fortunato with the bases loaded to end the inning. Each team pushed across a run in the sixth and Augustana added an unearned run off reliever Sam Burnett in the eighth to lead 7-2. Sophomore Cooper SantAmour (Moline HS, Moline, Ill.) relieved McGinley to start the ninth and gave up one run before closing things out.
 
McGinley gave up six hits and two runs (one earned) in eight innings. He walked three and struck out six to earn his fifth win in seven decisions. Swiderski and junior Alex Fluehr (Harlem HS, Loves Park, Ill.) each had three hits for the Vikings. Fifer added a pair. Swiderski drove in two runs and Fifer scored twice.