ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – Augustana lost identical 4-3 decisions to Luther, ranked 24^th in the latest NCAA Division III national poll, on Wednesday, April 3 at Carver Field. In the first game the Vikings battled back from a 4-0 deficit to pull within a single run before falling. The nightcap saw Augustana hold a 2-0 lead early in the contest.
 
Augustana falls to 11-11 overall heading into two College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin double headers this weekend. The Vikings travel to Decatur, Illinois on Saturday, April 6 to face Millikin at 1:00 p.m. and then head up to Bloomington, Illinois on Sunday, April 7 to take on fourth ranked Illinois Wesleyan at 12:00 noon.
 
GAME 1 (Luther 4, Augustana 3)
 
The Vikings fell behind 4-0 in the opening game of the double header was the Norse scored one run in the top of the second, two in the third and one in the fifth off starter Cecelia Peine (Wentzville Holt HS, Wentzville, Mo.). Sophomore Hope Moos (Lincoln HS, Hartsburg, Ill.) came on in the fifth to close the door on the Norse. She entered with the bases loaded and just one out but coaxed a pair of ground balls to prevent further damage.
 
In the bottom of the fifth the Augustana offense got going a bit. With one out senior Haley Ruch (Lincoln-Way North HS, Frankfort, Ill.) ripped a double and one out later she came home on an error on a ball hit by junior shortstop Alyssa Klahn (Lincoln-Way Central HS, New Lenox, Ill.). Klahn scored on a triple off the bat of senior third baseman Carly Wilson (Johnsburg HS, Ringwood, Ill.). Wilson tallied when freshman designated hitter Claire Weeks (Dundee-Crown HS, Sleepy Hollow, Ill.) singled.
 
The Vikings threated in the sixth, leaving the bases loaded, but were unable to push across the tying run. Wilson and junior first baseman Brittany Pospishil (Lincoln-Way East H, Mokena, Ill.) each had two hits for the Vikings.
 
GAME 2 (Luther 4, Augustana 3)
 
In the nightcap the score was the same but the game played out differently than the first game. Weeks drove in a pair of runs in the bottom of the third with a single to give the Vikings a 2-0 lead. She brought in junior centerfielder Dina Falk (Lake Park HS, Bloomingdale, Ill.), who had walked and Klahn, who had singled.
 
Luther put a single run on the board in the fourth and went ahead with two runs in the fifth off starter Kelcie Fredrickson (Fisher HS, Foosland, Ill.). Fredrickson pitched well and allowed five hits and three runs, all of them unearned, in six innings.
 
In the bottom of the sixth senior left fielder Taylor Belo (Jacobs HS, Algonquin, Ill.) led off with a double and eventually scored on a double by Ruch to tie the game 3-3.
 
Luther pushed a run across in the top of the seventh against freshman reliever Erin Smith (Columbine HS, Highlands Ranch, Colo.) and that proved to be the game winner.
 
Weeks had two RBI and a hit in the game as the Vikings managed just five hits off two Luther hurlers.