Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

MOLINE, Ill. – In a game that started six days ago at Elmhurst, Augustana came away a 3-1 winner over the Bluejays on Thursday. The Vikings dropped the nightcap of an unconventional doubleheader at Swanson Stadium/Brunner Field 10-4, moving to 18-9 on the season and 6-6 in the CCIW. Elmhurst is now 15-12 overall and 6-8 in the league.
 
Coach Greg Wallace's club will be back in action on Saturday, April 21, playing a twin bill versus Illinois Wesleyan in Bloomington, Illinois. First pitch at Horenberg Field is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
 
AUGUSTANA 3, ELMHURST 1
 
Thursday's opener actually began with Augustana leading 1-0 in the top of the seventh and both starting pitchers from last Friday's rain-suspended contest—Viking sophomore Chirs Refka (Palatine HS, Palatine, Ill.) and Bluejay Nathan Tovell—still in the game.
 
The Vikings tacked on a run in the eighth after Carter Amundsen (Sheboygan South HS, Sheboygan, Wis.) reached on a two-out infield hit and moved to third on a Jack Hallmark (Cherry Creek, Englewood, Colo.) single through the middle. The two then executed a double steal, with Amundsen beating the throw home to make it 2-0.
 
Elmhurst answered with a run in the bottom half. Reagan McReynolds and Trey Compton had consecutive one-out singles and McReynolds eventually scored on a wild pitch.
 
In the top of the ninth, junior Ryan Grannemann (McHenry West HS, McHenry, Ill.) singled in pinch runner Nick Kirk (Cary-Grove HS, Cary, Ill.) to make it 3-1. Senior Mitch Malone (Minooka HS, Minooka, Ill.) came on in relief of Refka to start the bottom of the ninth and worked around a leadoff walk, fanning two Bluejays to earn his fifth save of the season.
 
On Friday in Elmhurst, Augustana had taken a 1-0 lead in the third inning. Senior Tyler Nunez (Byron HS, Byron, Ill.) led off with a single to center, moved to second on Sam Beyer's (Legend HS, Parker, Colo.) sacrifice and scored on a Hallmark single through the middle.
 
Refka, who ended Friday's action by leaving the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth, wound up going eight innings to pick up his fifth win in seven decisions. He allowed six hits, walked just one and fanned five. Tovell (2-4) went the distance for the Bluejays. Hallmark and Grannemann each had two hits and an RBI for the Vikings.
 
ELMHURST 10, AUGUSTANA 4
 
Elmhurst blew open a tight game in the nightcap with six runs in the top of the ninth. Leading 4-3 when the inning started, the Bluejays touched four Augustana pitchers for five hits, including RBI singles by Matt Wilson, Trevor Horwath, Austin MacMillan, James Wick and Jacob McMillan.
 
The Vikings led 3-2 before the visitors tied it with a run in the seventh and took the lead with another in the eighth.
 
Amundsen had a leadoff single and scored on an error in the bottom of the first. Elmhurst answered with a run each in the second and third to go up 2-1. MacMillan singled in a run in the second and Jordan Scrimpsher did the same in the third.
 
A Jake Huber (Lockport HS, Homer Glen, Ill.) walk with one out sparked a two-run Augustana fourth. He moved up a base each on singles by seniors Matt Loeffl (Grayslake Central HS, Grayslake, Ill.) and John Moraski (Kewanee HS, Kewanee, Ill.) and scored on a Bluejay error to give the Vikings a 3-2 lead.
 
A two-out rally led to an unearned run as Elmhurst tied it in the seventh and McReynolds drove in the go-ahead run with an infield hit in the eighth.
 
Viking senior Vinny Rotunno (Lake HS, Lindenhurst, Ill.) worked six solid innings and didn't factor in the decision. Freshman Josh Chamberlain (Legacy HS, Thornton, Colo.) threw 2/3 of an inning in relief and suffered the loss, falling to 0-1. Junior Gunnar Haskins (Alleman HS, Moline, Ill.) had three hits and an RBI and Moraski added a pair of knocks.