Box Score

MOLINE, Ill. – Augustana took the lead with a five-run fifth inning Friday and went on to claim a 12-8 victory over Wheaton in the teams' series opener at Swanson Stadium/Brunner Field. Both teams are now 15-8 overall and 4-2 in the CCIW. They'll complete their three-game set with a doubleheader on Saturday, April 9 in Carol Stream, Illinois.
 
The Vikings and starter Walter White (East Peoria HS, East Peoria, Ill.) dodged a bullet in the top of the first. Nick Mailman delivered a leadoff double and Jacob Zeller followed with a walk. The next batter, Ben Brittain pulled a ball that was headed for the hole between first and second, but it clipped Zeller on the foot for an out. Augustana got another out when a botched double steal resulted in Mailman being caught off second. White fanned Clay Morrison to escape the inning unscathed.
 
Senior catcher John Swiderski (Geneva HS, Geneva, Ill.) gave the hosts a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first, lining an opposite field homer over the fence in right.
 
The Thunder took advantage of a pair of Augustana errors in the top of the third to score three and take their only lead of the night. Clay Morrison's two-run single was the big hit.
 
The Vikings answered with five runs in the bottom half to regain the lead for good. Swiderski knocked in two more with a single to center. Senior Trace Gingerich (Sherrard, Sherrard, Ill.) had an RBI single to center and sophomore Matt Loeffl (Grayslake Central HS, Grayslake, Ill.) plated a run with a sacrifice fly to put Augustana up 6-3.
 
The Vikings tallied a single run in the fourth and both teams pushed one across in the fifth.
 
Augustana led 8-4 going to the bottom of the seventh, when it added two more runs without the benefit of a hit.
 
The Thunder got to reliever Kyle McGinley (Mullen HS, Denver, Colo.) for a run in the top of the eighth, but his teammates came right back with two in the bottom half. Loeffl had an RBI double and sophomore Jack Hallmark (Cherry Creek HS, Englewood, Colo.) scored the Vikings' 12th and final run on a wild pitch.
 
Wheaton plated three unearned runs in the ninth, but Nick Refka (Palatine HS, Palatine, Ill.) recorded the final two outs to preserve the 12-8 win.
 
Swiderski paced a 15-hit Augustana attack, going 3-for-5 with two runs scored and three driven in. Loeffl and senior Nathan Gray each had two hits and two RBI and freshman Ryan Kairis (Marist HS, Chicago, Ill.) had two hits and scored three times. White battled through five innings, surrendering eight hits and five walks, but just two earned runs. He fanned six and got the win to improve to 4-1 on the season. McGinley struck out eight in 3 1/3 innings and just one of the three runs he allowed was earned. Refka recorded the Vikings' 15th strikeout in the ninth.