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NAPERVILLE, Ill. – Augustana's bid to defend its CCIW Tournament title came up short Saturday as the Vikings fell 12-11 and 13-12 to host North Central for the title. Coach Greg Wallace's club dropped to 30-14 on the year, while the Cardinals earn the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament with a 25-16 record. Augustana, which started the day unbeaten in this year's conference tournament, will await a possible at-large berth in the NCAA field.
 
NORTH CENTRAL 12, AUGUSTANA 11
 
Augustana staged a tremendous rally in Saturday's first contest, scoring 11 runs in four innings to wipe out a 10-0 deficit and go up 11-10. However, North Central plated a pair in the top of the ninth to retake the lead and retired the Vikings in the bottom half to force the "if necessary" game.
 
The Cardinals went up with seven runs in the third off starter Mike Powers (Benet HS, Downers Grove, Ill.) and three more in the fifth off reliever Justin Meyer (Buffalo Grove HS, Arlington Heights, Ill.). Nick Sotiros' grand slam was the big hit in the third and Robert Zebrauskas added a two-run single. Michael Mateja had a two-run double in the fifth.
 
The Vikings began chipping away in the bottom of the fifth. Tyler Nunez (Byron HS, Byron, Ill.) walked and Jake Huber (Lockport HS, Homer Glen , Ill.) singled to start the inning and both scored without the benefit of another hit, cutting the deficit to 10-2.
 
Junior Mitch Malone (Minooka HS, Minooka, Ill.) came out of the Augustana pen to start the sixth and held North Central at bay for three innings while his teammates continued the comeback. Sophomore Mike Avella (Crystal Lake South HS, Crystal Lake, Ill.) had a two-run pinch-hit triple and scored himself in a four-run Viking sixth.
 
In the seventh, senior Cayton Wallace (Assumption HS, Rock Island, Ill.) singled and scored on a Cardinal error to get Augustana to within 10-7 and the Vikings added four in the eighth to take the lead. Avella and  senior Peter Doughty (York HS, Elmhurst, Ill.) started the inning with singles. Avella scored on Mitchel Ruh's (Hinckley-Big Rock HS, Big Rock, Ill.) RBI single and Doughty scored on another North Central miscue. Wallace singled in Ruh with the tying run and an RBI groundout by junior John Moraski (Kewanee HS, Kewanee, Ill.) scored Matt Loeffl (Grayslake Central HS, Grayslake, Ill.) to put Augustana up 11-10 after eight.
 
Senior right-hander Nick Refka (Palatine HS, Palatine, Ill.) came on to start the ninth and after getting Mateja to pop out, surrendered singles to Jeremy Quade and Sotiros. Refka got Chris Hill to pop out, but Sotiros stole second and John Carmody knocked him and Quade in with a single to left to put the Cardinals back up 12-11.
 
Nick Rogalski set the Vikings down in the bottom of the ninth to earn the win. Refka (4-3) suffered the loss. Loeffl and Huber each had three of Augustana's 16 hits. Sotiros had three knocks for North Central and six teammates added two hits each.
 
NORTH CENTRAL 13, AUGUSTANA 12
 
It was the North Central staging a big rally in the day's second contest, digging out of an early 10-3 hole and claiming the championship with four runs in the bottom of the ninth.
 
Ruh's RBI single and Wallace's grand slam put the Vikings up 5-0 after a half inning and they added five more in the next two innings. Sophomore Ryan Kairis (Marist HS, Chicago, Ill.) had a two-run double in the third.
 
The Cardinals answered with two in the first and one in the second off starter Chris Refka (Palatine HS, Palatine, Ill.) and got to within 10-7 with four more in the fourth. Quade had a two-run double and Hill a two-run single.
 
Augustana still led 12-9 going to the bottom of the ninth, when Thursday's starter, Brad Dubow (Naperville Central HS, Naperville, Ill.), got the call. Two singles and a walk loaded the bases and Dubow retired Quade 3-1 with a run scoring on the play. Sotiros tripled to center, driving in two to tie it at 12-12 and after a pair of intentional walks, Sing Fong singled to right, scoring Sotiros with the tournament clincher.
 
Rogalski (5-2) earned his second win of the day, while Dubow absorbed his second loss in six decisions this year. Kairis, Loeffl and Doughty had three hits apiece and Kairis, along with Wallace, knocked in four runs. Junior Carter Amundsen (Sheboygan South HS, Sheboygan, Wis.) scored three times. Mateja led an 18-hit Cardinal attack with four safeties.