Box Score

DECATUR, Ill. – Jake Stanton homered three times and drove in six runs Friday to lead Millikin to an 8-7, 10-inning win over Augustana at Sunnyside Park. The Vikings fall to 24-14 on the year and 8-11 in the CCIW. The Big Blue improved to 16-20 overall and 7-12 in the league. The teams are scheduled to complete their series with a doubleheader on Saturday, May 2, also at Sunnyside Park.
 
Millikin pushed across an unearned run in the 10th to win it. Julian Gutierrez had a one-out double to right field off sophomore reliever Nick Refka (Palatine HS, Palatine, Ill.). Clayton Welker ran for Gutierrez and moved to third on a bunt single by Joey DiLeo. Refka issued an intentional walk to Stanton and then got Kaleb Krigbaum to ground to Alex Fluehr (Harlem HS, Loves Park, Ill.). The Viking shortstop threw to John Swiderski (Geneva HS, Geneva, Ill.) to cut down Welker at the plate. However, the next batter, Cody Blunk reached on an error and DiLeo came across with the winning run.
 
After stranding two runners in the first inning, Augustana took a 2-0 lead in the second. Senior Kyle Lenihan (Romeoville HS, Romeoville, Ill.) and Fleuhr sandwiched doubles around a single by freshman Tommy Kiriakopoulos (Huntley HS, Lake in the Hills, Ill.). Fluehr's two-bagger plated Lenihan and Kiriakopoulos scored on Brandon Jasper's (Central HS, DeWitt, Iowa) sacrifice fly.
 
Meanwhile, Viking starter Kyle McGinley retired the first 14 batters of the game before hitting Brian Ekiss with two out in the fifth. Stanton followed with his first round-tripper of the night to tie it.
 
In the seventh, Swiderski delivered a two-run double and scored on a Trace Gingerich (Sherrard Hs, Sherrard, Ill.) double to put Augustana back on top 5-2. In the bottom half, Stanton's hit his second homer and Seth Coffey added an RBI single to cut the Viking lead to 5-4.
 
A Danny Fifer (Lincoln-Way West HS, New Lenox, Ill.) sacrifice fly and a double steal by Jasper and junior Nathan Gray (Rock Island HS, Rock Island, Ill.) in the eighth extended the advantage back to 7-4. Jasper came home on the front end of that double steal. Stanton's three-run homer, his third long ball of the night, tied it in the bottom half.
 
Refka went an inning and two-thirds and suffered his first loss in three decisions. McGinley allowed six hits and four runs in 6 2/3 innings. Seven Vikings had two hits in a 15-hit Augustana attack.