WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – Augustana scored a run in the seventh and three in the eighth Tuesday to erase a 3-2 deficit and eventually hung on for a 6-4 win over Bates in the 2019 season opener. The Vikings (1-0) and Bobcats (0-1) are scheduled to play single games on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday as well.

 

Augustana trailed 3-2 going to the bottom of the seventh, but senior Ryan Kairis (Marist HS, Chicago, Ill.) legged out a two-out infield hit off reliever Justin Foley to start the Vikings' rally. After a Kairis steal and a walk to Tyler Nunez (Byron HS, Byron, Ill.), senior Gunnar Haskins (Alleman HS, Moline, Ill.) singled in Kairis with the tying run.
 
Sophomore reliever Josh Chamberlain (Legacy HS, Thornton, Colo.) set Bates down in order in the top of the eighth before his teammates plated three more runs in the bottom half. Senior Ryan Grannemann (McHenry West HS, McHenry, Ill.) and junior Nick Kirk (Cary-Grove HS, Cary, Ill.) drew consecutive walks from Alex Simon to start the frame. Junior Sam Beyer (Legend HS, Parker, Colo.) moved the runners up with a sacrifice and pinch-hitter Jake Huber (Lockport HS, Homer Glen, Ill.) singled to right, scoring pinch-runner Griffin Schuster (North Boone HS, Poplar Grove, Ill.) with the go-ahead run. Senior Nick Mosele (University HS, Bloomington, Ill.) squeezed in Kirk and Kairis' single to left scored Huber to make it 6-3 Augustana after eight.
 
Dan Trulli's RBI single in the top of the ninth pulled the Bobcats to within 6-4, but sophomore reliever John Hayes (Cherry Creek HS, Greenwood Village, Colo.) fanned Justin White and Giovanni Torres with the bases loaded to preserve the victory.
 
After senior starter Mike Powers (Benet Academy, Westmont, Ill.) retired Bates in the top of the first, his teammates staked him to a lead with two runs in the bottom half. Nunez stroked a one-out single to center and eventually scored on a Grannemann hit and sophomore Mitchell Owens (Moline HS, Moline, Ill.) doubled in junior Will Troia (Boylan HS, Rockford, Ill.), who had walked.
 
Bates took advantage of two Viking errors to grab the lead with three second-inning runs. Torres and Kevin Lucey started the inning with consecutive singles. The first Augustana miscue loaded the bases and another allowed Torres and Lucey to score, tying the game. Will Sylvia's ground out plated Andrew Chi with the go-ahead run.
 
Both starters settled in after that, although neither factored in the final decision. Powers (7 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 SO) followed with five scoreless innings, while Bates' Nolan Collins (6 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 SO) blanked the Vikings until leaving to start the bottom of the seventh.
 
Chamberlain picked up the win in an inning and a third of relief and Hayes earned the save. Simon suffered the loss for the Bobcats.
 
Kairis led the Augustana attack, going 3-for-5 with a run scored and one knocked in. Grannemann, Nunez and Haskins each had a pair of hits.