Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

MOLINE, Ill. – Brad Dubow (Naperville Central HS, Naperville, Ill.) and Justin Meyer (Buffalo Grove HS, Arlington Heights, Ill.) combined on a solid pitching effort in game one Friday and Mike Powers (Benet Academy, Downers Grove, Ill.) went eight strong innings in game two as Augustana swept Carthage in a doubleheader at Swanson Stadium/Brunner Field, 7-4 and 9-3. The teams came into the night tied in the CCIW standings, but the Vikings improved to 26-10 overall and 12-8 in the league, while the Red Men dropped to 18-16 on the season and 10-10 in the conference.
 
The teams are scheduled to complete their three-game series with a single game at Swanson/Brunner on Sunday, April 30 at noon, but an ominous weather forecast makes the status of the contest uncertain.
 
AUGUSTANA 7, CARTHAGE 4
 
The hosts jumped in front with six runs in their first three at-bats. After Dubow pitched around an error in the top of the first, Carter Amundsen's (Sheboygan South HS, Sheboygan, Wis.) leadoff single in the bottom half kick started a three-run Augustana outburst. Sophomore Ryan Kairis (Marist HS, Chicago, Ill.) drew a walk from Carthage starter Chris DeRue and after a Peter Doughty (York HS, Elmhurst, Ill.) sacrifice, senior Mitchel Ruh (Hinckley-Big Rock HS, Big Rock, Ill.) ripped a double into the gap in left center, scoring both runners. Junior Matt Loeffl (Grayslake Central HS, Grayslake, Ill.) then dropped a double down the right field line that plated Ruh to put the Vikings up 3-0 after one.
 
Doubles by freshman Jake Huber (Lockport HS, Homer Glen, Ill.) and Amundsen added a run in the second and Kairis scored on passed ball to make it 5-1, Augustana.
 
Carthage got on the board in the top of the third when Jared Knoespel tripled with one out and came home on a Matt Rave single, but the Vikings answered in the bottom of the frame.  Loeffl had a one-out double to right and scored on a Tyler Nunez (Byron HS, Byron, Ill.) single.
 
The Red Men got to Dubow for two in the fifth. Rave rolled an RBI single through the left side and Ryan Rodgers' infield hit plated another run. Sophomore Nick Mosele (University HS, Bloomington, Ill.) scored Nunez with an RBI groundout in the bottom of the fifth to give Augustana a 7-3 advantage.
 
Freshman lefty Meyer came on to start the sixth and surrendered another run that pulled Carthage within 6-3, but he shut the Red Men out over the final three innings. He picked up his fourth save of the year, all in the last three weeks. DuBow (4-0) got the win, allowing two earned runs in five innings, while fanning seven. DeRue (21-3) suffered the loss. Amundsen, Loeffl and Huber had two hits apiece.
 
AUGUSTANA 9, CARTHAGE 3
 
Both starters, Carthage's Tim Sulik and Augustana's Powers, look good early in game two. They matched goose eggs for the first three and a half innings before the Vikings got on the board with three runs in the fourth. Amundsen's leadoff bunt single started things. Doughty had a two-run single and Loeffl a run-scoring hit in the inning.
 
Huber's two-run single in the sixth put the hosts up 5-0.
 
The Red Men finally got to Powers for a run on Ryan Kramer's RBI single in the top of the seventh, but Ruh's RBI groundout in the bottom of the frame kept Augustana ahead 6-1.
 
Huber, Mosele and Doughty drove in runs in the Viking eighth to make it 9-1. Carthage touched senior reliever Casey Weir (Warren HS, Wadsworth, Ill.) for two runs in the top of the ninth, but he coaxed a Cody Phelps groundout to end the game.
 
Powers (6-2) went eight innings, surrendering six hits and one run, walking none with eight strikeouts to get the win. Sulik (5-3) took the loss. Amundsen, Doughty, Loeffl and Huber each had two hits. Doughty and Huber drove in three runs each and Amundsen scored twice.