Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

MOLINE, Ill. – Augustana pounded North Park 8-5 and 12-2 in a doubleheader Saturday at Swanson Stadium/Brunner Field. The hosts improved to 20-11 on the year and are tied for second place in the CCIW at 9-5. North Park fell to 12-20 overall and 4-10 in the conference. The teams are scheduled to complete their three-game set with a single contest on Sunday, April 24 in Chicago, Illinois.
 
AUGUSTANA 8, NORTH PARK 5
 
Augustana scored two in the seventh and three in the eighth to come from behind for the game one win.
 
North Park scored three in the top of the sixth to go ahead 4-3. After each team went scoreless in its next half inning, the hosts came to bat in the bottom of the seventh. Senior John Swiderski (Geneva HS, Geneva, Ill.) reached on a one-out error and classmate Trace Gingerich (Sherrard HS, Sherrard, Ill.) doubled him in with the tying run. One out later, sophomore Peter Doughty (York HS, Elmhurst, Ill.) singled to right, plating Gingerich with the go-ahead run.
 
Mitchell Jordan's RBI double off reliever Kyle McGinley (Mullen HS, Denver, Colo.) tied it at 5-5 in the top of the eighth, but the Vikings responded with three in the bottom half. Senior Jeff Prior (Rock Canyon HS, Lone Tree, Colo.) led off with an infield hit and was sacrificed to second by classmate Alex Fluehr (Harlem HS, Loves Park, Ill.). Senior Nathan Gray (Rock Island HS, Rock Island, Ill.) gave Augustana the lead, scoring Prior with a single to center. Freshman Ryan Kairis (Marist HS, Chicago, Ill.) also singled to center, scoring Gray and Kairis scored the final run of the frame on an error.
 
Junior Nick Refka (Palatine HS, Palatine, Ill.) came out of the pen and set North Park down in order in the ninth to earn his fourth save of the year.
 
The Vikings took a 3-1 lead with two runs in the bottom of the third. Gingerich doubled in the go-ahead run and scored himself later in the inning. It stayed that way until North Park got to starter Walter White (East Peoria HS, East Peoria, Ill.) for three runs in the sixth.
 
McGinley picked up his second win in as many decisions this year. Gray, Kairis and Gingerich were all 2-for-5 at the plate. Gingerich scored twice and drove in a pair.
 
AUGUSTANA 12, NORTH PARK 2
 
Augustana rode plenty of offense and another solid mound outing from Zach Morgenstern (Peoria Notre Dame HS, East Peoria, Ill.) to a 12-2 win in the nightcap.
 
The Vikings jumped all over North Park starter Brent Kessinger, tallying two runs each in the first, second and fifth innings, along with one in the fourth. Swiderski had an RBI double and Gingerich a run-scoring single in the first. Gray and sophomore Carter Amundsen (Sheboygan South HS, Sheboygan, Wis.) belted two-run doubles in the second and fifth, respectively.
 
North Park got a pair of unearned runs off Morgenstern (5-3) in the top of the third, but that's all they would scratch out against the senior right-hander. He gave up six hits, walked three and fanned five in his third complete game of the year.
 
Prior had an RBI single in a three-run seventh and Gingerich an RBI triple in the eighth. Sophomore Tommy Kiriakopoulos (Huntley HS, Lake in the Hills, Ill.) ended the contest by mercy rule, singling in Gingerich with Augustana's 12th run.
 
Gingerich finished game two 3-for-4 with three runs scored and two driven in. Swiderski was 2-for-5 and scored twice.