WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – After falling behind 2-0 Thursday, Augustana scored six runs in the third and fourth innings and cruised to a 10-3 win over Bates at Chains of Lakes Park. Coach Greg Wallace's Vikings improved to 3-0 on the season, while the Bobcats fell to 0-3. The teams will conclude their four-game season-opening series on Friday, February 22 at 9:30 a.m. CST.

 

Bates got to Augustana starter Chris Refka (Palatine HS, Palatine, Ill.) for a run each in the first and second. Christian Beal led off the game with a double to left center and came around to score on Dan Trulli's single to center. In the second, Refka hit leadoff hitter Pat Beaton and Leo Watson followed with an RBI triple to make it 2-0 Bobcats.
 
The Vikings tied it in the bottom of the third. Will Troia (Boylan Catholic HS, Rockford, Ill.) led off with a double to center and one out later, scored on a wild pitch. Bates starter Peter Schuldt walked freshman Josh Barker (Windsor HS, Severance, Colo.), who moved to second on Tyler Nunez's (Byron HS, Byron, Ill.) single to center. Barker was cut down at the plate on a Gunnar Haskins (Alleman HS, Moline, Ill.) double, but a wild pitch with Jake Huber (Lockport HS, Homer Glen, Ill.) at the plate allowed Nunez to score the tying run.
 
Wallace's crew took the lead with four in the fourth. Ryan Grannemann's (McHenry West HS, McHenry, Ill.) leadoff single got things started. Barker had a two-run single and Nunez doubled in a pair.
 
Refka settled in and put up four straight goose eggs before the Bobcats touched him for a run in the top of the seventh. Jon Lindgren doubled with one out and scored on Andrew Chi's single to left to cut the deficit to 6-3.
 
Augustana put the game away with two runs each in the seventh and eighth. Huber had a solo homer in the seventh and Mitchell Owens (Moline HS, Moline, Ill.) walked and scored on a Sam Beyer (Legend HS, Parker, Colo.) single. In the eighth, Barker walked and eventually scored on a wild pitch. Owens' sacrifice fly to center plated  Nunez with the game's final run.
 
Senior Vince O'Meara (Alleman HS, Moline, Ill.) set Bates down in the top of the ninth to complete two scoreless innings of relief.
 
The top of the order sparked the Vikings all day. Barker and Nunez, hitting in the leadoff and second slots respectively, combined to reach base in eight of 10 plate appearances. Barker was 1-for-2 with three walks. He scored  twice and knocked in a pair. Nunez finish 3-for-4 with two scored and two driven in. Granneman added two hits and scored twice.
 
Refka (1-0) allowed eight hits and three runs in seven innings. He walked two and fanned three to earn the victory. Schuldt (0-1) absorbed the loss for the Bobcats.