ELMHURST, Ill. – Gunnar Haskins (Alleman HS, Moline, Ill.) homered twice Tuesday to power Augustana to a 12-6 win over Elmhurst at Butterfield Park. The Vikings improved to 17-5-1 on the season and a league-leading 6-1 in the CCIW. The Bluejays fell to 8-14 overall and 2-7 in the conference.

 

Augustana got plenty of help from its hosts in taking a 5-1 lead after 2½ innings.
 
Ryan Kairis (Marist HS, Chicago, Ill.) reached on an error to lead off the game and scored on a Jake Huber (Lockport HS, Homer Glen, Ill.) sacrifice fly. Matt Helms (Palatine HS, Palatine, Ill.) drew a walk leading off the second and tallied another unearned run and in the third, five walks, a Mitchell Owens (Moline HS, Moline, Ill.) single and a wild pitch led to three more runs.
 
Elmhurst touched Viking starter Chris Refka (Palatine HS, Palatine, Ill.) for four singles in the bottom of the second, but plated just one run, as Helms' throw from right cut down Colin Winston at the plate to end the inning.
 
Tyler Kledzik's solo homer in the third pulled the Bluejays to within 5-2, but Haskins answered with his first of the day leading off the top of the fifth and his RBI double in the sixth gave Augustana a 7-2 advantage.
 
Elmhurst scored two in the bottom of the sixth on a Jacob McMillan triple, a Kledzik double and a single by Jordan Scrimpsher. Kairis singled, stole second and eventually scored on a wild pitch in the top of the seventh and the Vikings led 8-4 as the crowd took the stretch.
 
Matt Hoban (Monarch HS, Westminster, Colo.) relieved Refka to start the bottom of the seventh and the Bluejays got to him for a pair of runs before John Hayes (Cherry Creek HS, Greenwood Village, Colo.) came out of the pen to leave two runners stranded.
 
Haskins blasted his second homer, a two-run shot, in the eighth and Helms singled in a run in a two-run Augustana ninth.
 
Hayes pitched around a one-out double in the bottom of the ninth to finish off a scoreless three-inning stint and earn his fifth save.
 
Haskins finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored and five driven in. Helms was 2-for-3 with two RBI. Owens scored three times and Kairis and Ryan Grannemann (McHenry West HS, McHenry, Ill.) twice each.
 
Refka scattered nine hits and walked none in six innings. He improved to 3-1 with the win. Elmhurst starter Noah Jordan went two-plus innings and took the loss, falling to 1-2 on the year.
 
Coach Greg Wallace's club is back in action on Saturday, April 13, hosting Carthage in a 1:00 p.m. twin bill at Swanson Stadium/Brunner Field.