Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

MOLINE, Ill. – With a chance to gain ground on league-leading North Central, Augustana and Illinois Wesleyan split a doubleheader Friday at Swanson Stadium/Brunner Field. A 3-2 Viking win in game one and an 8-6 Titan victory in game two leaves the teams tied at 11-6 in the CCIW, a half game behind the Cardinals (24-6, 11-5), who lost at Elmhurst Friday. Augustana is now 23-12 on the year and Illinois Wesleyan is 19-15. The teams are scheduled to complete their three game set at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 30 in Bloomington, Illinois.
 
AUGUSTANA 3, ILLINOIS WESLEYAN 2
 
John Swiderski's (Geneva HS, Geneva, Ill.) two-out single in the bottom of the ninth plated Alex Fluehr (Harlem HS, Loves Park, Ill.) with the winning run in game one. Junior Peter Doughty (York HS, Elmhurst, Ill.) led off the frame with a single off the glove of Titan closer Brian Henry. Fluehr's sacrifice attempt resulted in a fielder's choice that left the senior shortstop at first. Nathan Gray (Rock Island HS, Rock Island, Ill.) moved him to third with a single to right center and one out later, Swiderski lined a Harvey offering into left center to end the contest.
 
The Vikings jumped in front with a run in the bottom of the first. Gray drew a leadoff walk, stole second and scored on a Swiderski single.
 
With both starters—Augustana's Walter White (East Peoria HS, East Peoria, Ill.) and IWU's Sean Coonan—cruising, it wasn't until the sixth that either team scored again. A Viking error on a Titan sacrifice attempt aided in IWU tying the game in the top of the sixth and the visitors took a 3-2 lead in the seventh, scoring on another Augustana miscue.
 
After leaving runners on second and third in the  bottom of the seventh, the Vikings pushed across the tying run in the eighth. Swiderski drew a leadoff walk from reliever Mitch Goll, prompting Henry to come out of the pen. Trace Gingerich (Sherrard HS, Sherrard, Ill.) sacrificed Swiderski to second and the Augustana catcher moved to third on Mitchel Ruh's (Hinckley-Big Rock HS, Big Rock, Ill.) single through the left side. That brought Carter Amundsen (Sheboygan South HS, Sheboygan, Wis.) to the plate and the sophomore lifted a long fly ball down the left field line. Mitch Pfeiffer made the catch barely into foul ground, but Swiderski tagged and scored easily.
 
White went the distance for his sixth win in seven decisions. He gave up six singles, walked one and fanned nine.
 
Swiderski paced the Viking attack, going 3-for-4 with a run scored and two knocked in. Gray and Amundsen each had two hits.
 
ILLINOIS WESLEYAN 8, AUGUSTANA 6
 
With persistent rain in the forecast, one of Saturday's doubleheader games was moved to Moline on Friday. As a result, Illinois Wesleyan was the designated home team in the nightcap.
 
Despite entering the contest with ERAs under 2.50, neither starter made it through five innings. Augustana took the lead with two runs off Nick Huskisson in the top of the third. Singles by Gray, freshman Ryan Kairis (Marist HS, Chicago, Ill.) and Gingerich plated the first and Kairis scored the second on a wild pitch.
 
The Titans answered with five in the bottom half, taking advantage of some control issues for Zach Morgenstern (Peoria Notre Dame HS, East Peoria, Ill.), who didn't survive the inning. IWU tacked on an unearned run off Kyle McGinley (Mullen HS, Denver, Colo.) in the fourth to make it 6-2.
 
The Vikings cut it to 6-5 with three runs in the fifth, knocking out Huskisson. Ruh's two-run single was the big hit. In the sixth, Swiderski blasted a solo homer over the left field fence to tie the game at 6-6.
 
However, the Titans responded. They took the lead on Jarrod Juskiewicz's two-run double off McGinley in the bottom of the sixth and added an insurance run on a Casey Weir (Warren HS, Wadsworth, Ill.) wild pitch in the seventh. Reliever Matt Banaitis set Augustana down in the eighth and ninth to earn his first save.
 
McGinley suffered his first loss in three decisions. Luis Acklin (2-1) picked up the win. Amundsen had three hits, while Gray, Hallmark and Fluehr contributed two each.