CLERMONT, Fla. – Augustana split a pair of games in Florida on Friday, falling 3-2 to Johnson & Wales (Colo.) before downing Rose-Hulman 8-3. Coach Kris Kistler's Vikings are now 6-2 on the spring and will wrap up play in the Sunshine State with games versus York (Pa.) and Defiance on Saturday, March 2.

 

JOHNSON & WALES (Colo.) 3, AUGUSTANA 2
 
Augustana wasn't able to muster much offense against Johnson & Wales hurlers M.J. Bourgeois and Summer Ramundo in its first game of the day and suffered a 3-2 setback.
 
Trailing 3-1 going to the bottom of the seventh, the Vikings gave themselves a chance. Carly Wilson (Johnsburg HS, Ringwood, Ill.) drew a leadoff walk and scored two outs later on an Ashley Dehmlow (McHenry West HS, Spring Grove, Ill.) double to get Augustana within a run. However, Ramundo, who had pitched the sixth, returned to the circle and coaxed a game-ending flyout by Alyssa Klahn (Lincoln-Way Central, New Lenox, Ill.).
 
The Wildcats touched Viking starter Kelcie Fredrickson (Fisher HS, Foosland, Ill.) for a run in the third when Devin Scales drew a leadoff walk and pinch-runner Gabby Farino eventually scored on a passed ball.
 
Augustana tied in the fourth with its only run against Bourgeois. Junior Dina Falk (Lake Park Bloomingdale, Ill.) led off with a single to center and scored two outs later on a single to center by sophomore Molly Wrenn (Geneva HS, Geneva, Ill.).
 
Johnson & Wales regained the lead with two in the sixth. Conroy's single to left plated the go-ahead run and knocked out Fredrickson. Scales' RBI double gave the Wildcats a crucial insurance run and a 3-1 lead.
 
Falk finished with two of the Vikings' five hits. Fredrickson (2-1) gave up five hits and three runs in five innings and took the loss. Bourgeois lasted five innings and earned the win.
 
AUGUSTANA 8, ROSE-HULMAN 3
 
Dehmlow threw four scoreless innings in relief and Augustana  put the game away with six runs in its final two at-bats, defeating Rose-Hulman 8-3 in its second game of the day.
 
Falk, Amanda Ray (Downers Grove South HS, Downers Grove, Ill.) and Wilson started the contest with consecutive singles. Wilson's plated  Falk and she scored later on an RBI groundout by freshman Erin Smith (Columbine HS, Highlands Ranch, Colo.) to make it 2-0 after a half-inning.
 
The Engineers got to Smith for a run in the bottom half and took the lead with two in the fourth. After two walks to start the frame, Gabrielle Davidson had an RBI single and Emily Struble knocked in a run with a fielder's choice.
 
The Vikings answered with two in the sixth. Wilson had a one-out single to right and later scored when Dehmlow helped her own cause with an RBI single to left. Dehmlow stole second and scored the go-ahead run on an RHIT error.
 
Brittany Pospishil's (Lincoln-Way East HS, Mokena, Ill.) leadoff walk sparked a four-run seventh as Augustana put the game away. Ray knocked her in with a double to center and Wilson followed with a two-run homer. Doubles by Wrenn and Haley Ruch (Lincoln-Way North HS, Frankfort, Ill.) put the final run on the board.
 
Dehmlow pitched around two hits in the bottom of the seventh to close things out.
 
Wilson led the Viking attack, going 3-for-4 with three runs scored and three knocked in. Ray added a pair of hits. Dehmlow (2-0) gave up three hits and a walk while fanning four in four innings. She earned the win in relief of Smith. Struble went the distance for Rose-Hulman and absorbed the loss.