Box Score

FORT MYERS, Fla. – Sophomore Mike Powers (Benet Academy, Westmont, Ill.) went seven strong innings and senior Mitchel Ruh (Hinckley-Big Rock HS, Big Rock, Ill.) had three hits and four RBI Saturday as 20th-ranked Augustana won its seventh straight game, 11-3 over Plymouth State. Coach Greg Wallace's club improved to 11-1 on the season, while the Panthers fell to 0-2.
 
James Garnett had an RBI double, stole third and scored on a throwing error as Plymouth State took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first. That would be all the Panthers would get off Powers the rest of the afternoon.
 
Plymouth State starter David Sampson cruised through five shutout innings before the Vikings exploded for seven in the sixth. Sophomore Ryan Kairis (Marist HS, Chicago, Ill.) and junior Tyler Nunez (Byron HS, Byron, Ill.) started the inning with consecutive singles to left. Junior Carter Amundsen (Sheboygan South HS, Sheboygan, Wis.) reached on an error to load the bases and Ruh knocked them all in with a double to left. Seniors Cayton Wallace (Assumption HS, Rock Island, Ill.) and Peter Doughty (York HS, Elmhurst, Ill.) and sophomore Nick Mosele (University HS, Bloomington, Ill.) each added RBI singles in the frame. Wallace's ended Sampson's day.
 
Meanwhile, Powers allowed just three hits over his final six innings. He left after seven, having given up two runs on five hits with no walks and seven strikeouts. Junior Mitch Malone (Minooka HS, Minooka, Ill.) relieved him.
 
Augustana added four more in the eighth. The first scored on an error, the second when Nunez was hit with the bases full and Amundsen delivered the third with a sacrifice fly to center. Ruh drove in another run with a single to right.
 
Powers got the win in his first starting assignment of the season. The Panthers got only an unearned run of Malone, who fanned five in his two-inning relief stint. Sampson suffered the loss. Ruh paced a 14-hit Vikings attack with three. Amundsen, Wallace, Doughty and junior Matt Loeffl (Grayslake Central HS, Grayslake, Ill.) added two each. Ruh knocked in four runs and Kairis and Wallace each scored twice.
 
Wallace's crew is back in action on Sunday, March 19, wrapping up play in Florida with a 9:00 a.m. (EDT) contest versus Lasell at Player Development Complex.