Box Score

AUBURNDALE, Fla. – Three Augustana pitchers surrendered just three hits and no earned runs Monday and junior John Moraski (Kewanee HS, Kewanee, Ill.) delivered a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth as the Vikings opened the 2017 season with a 2-1 win over Brandeis at Lake Myrtle Park Field. The same teams are back at it on Tuesday, February 21.
 
After seven and a half scoreless innings, Coach Greg Wallace's club was able to scratch out the game's first run in the bottom of the eighth. Sophomore Ryan Kairis (Marist HS, Chicago, Ill.) drew a leadoff walk from Daniel Schupper and moved into scoring position on a Jack Hallmark (Cherry Creek HS, Englewood, Colo.) sacrifice. Junior Carter Amundsen (Sheboygan South HS, Sheboygan, Wis.) followed with a double to left-center, plating Kairis. Augustana had runners at second and third with one out, but couldn't push across an insurance run.
 
Viking closer Nick Refka (Palatine HS, Palatine, Ill.) came on to start the bottom of the ninth. Judges' leadoff man Ryan Tettemer reached on a Moraski error to start the frame and moved to second on Victor Oppenheimer's sacrifice. After Refka hit Johua Rokowsky, Kyle Slevira slipped a single through the left side, scoring Tettemer with the tying run. Slevira was cut down trying to advance on a 7-2-4-3 putout and Refka escaped further damage, getting Marvic Gomez to fly to Matt Loeffl (Grayslake HS, Grayslake, Ill.) in center to end the inning.
 
In the bottom of the ninth, junior Tyler Nunez (Byron HS, Byron, Ill.) touched Brandeis' Bradley Bousquet for a one-out double to left. Moraski then redeemed himself with a single to center, scoring Nunez with the game-winner.
 
The pitchers were dominant early. Senior Kyle McGinley (Mullen HS, Denver, Colo.) got the opening game call from Wallace and went six stellar innings. He allowed just one hit—a one-out single to right by Jay Schaff in the sixth—and fanned nine while walking two. He struck out the side in the first and third innings. Senior Casey Weir (Warren HS, Wadsworth, Ill.) came on in the sixth and was just as effective, giving up one hit and striking out four in a two-inning stint.
 
McGinley's counterpart, Sean O'Neil, gave up three hits in 4 2/3 scoreless innings and Greg Tobin relieved him with a pair of shutout frames.
 
Augustana's best threats came in the first inning, when Amundsen was left stranded at third, and in the third, when Kairis reached third with one out, but was left on. The Judges had just one runner reach scoring position before the ninth inning.
 
Refka (1-0) picked up the win and Bousquet (0-1) took the loss. Amundsen and senior Cayton Wallace (Assumption HS, Rock Island, Ill.) paced a seven-hit Viking attack with two knocks each. Amundsen also had a pair of stolen bases.