Box Score

AUBURNDALE, Fla. – Junior Brad Dubow (Naperville Central HS, Naperville, Ill.) went seven shutout innings Sunday to lead Augustana to a 7-3 win over Capital at Lake Myrtle Sports Complex. Coach Greg Wallace's club improved to 5-1 on the year, while the Crusaders suffered their first loss in three outing this spring.
 
Dubow and Capital's Patrick Avellano each put up goose eggs for the first five and a half innings. The Vikings couldn't take advantage of two Crusader errors in the second and left the bases loaded. After Dubow retired Capital in order in the top of the sixth, the Augustana bats finally broke through with five runs in the bottom half.
 
Junior Carter Amundsen (Sheboygan South HS, Sheboygan, Wis.) ended Avellano's afternoon with a leadoff infield hit and moved to third on Peter Doughty's (York HS, Elmhurst, Ill.) single to right. That brought up the Vikings' hottest hitter, junior John Moraski (Kewanee HS, Kewanee, Ill.), and his single to left plated Amundsen with the game's first run. Matt Loeffl (Grayslake Central HS, Grayslake, Ill.) came through with an RBI single and Augustana added runs on bases-loaded walks to Jack Hallmark (Cherry Creek HS, Englewood, Colo.) and Tyler Nunez (Byron HS, Byron, Ill.) and on a Crusader error.
 
The Vikings tacked on single runs in the seventh and eighth. Senior Mitchel Ruh (Hinckley-Big Rock HS, Big Rock, Ill.) plated pinch-runner Nick Mosele (University HS, Normal, Ill.) with a groundout in the seventh and sophomore Ryan Kairis (Marist HS, Chicago, Ill.) doubled and scored on John Sagen's (Naperville North HS, Naperville, Ill.) fielder's choice grounder in the eighth.
 
After sophomore Mike Powers (Benet Academy, Westmont, Ill.) threw a 1-2-3 eighth, Capital scored three runs (two unearned) off senior Casey Weir (Warren HS, Wadsworth, Ill.) in the ninth to account for the final.
 
Moraski and Loeffl paced the Augustana attack. Each had two hits, a run scored and one driven in. Dubow (1-0) gave up five hits, walked one and fanned five in seven scoreless innings. Avellano, who allowed three hits and one run in five-plus innings, was the tough-luck loser.
 
The Vikings continue play in Florida on Tuesday, February 28, taking on Wartburg in Auburndale at noon EST.