Box Score

FORT MYERS, Fla. – Sophomore Kyle Wise (Geneseo HS, Geneseo, Ill.) gave Augustana a 3-2 lead with a seventh-inning sacrifice fly and junior Josh Chamberlain (Legacy HS, Thornton, Colo.) closed out the game with 4 1/3 scoreless innings of relief Thursday, as the Vikings defeated Bluffton 4-2 at Player Development Complex #3. Coach Greg Wallace's club improved to 2-2 on the year, while the Beavers fell to 2-5.
 
Freshman Joe Marcucci (Rolling Meadoews HS, Arlington Heights, Ill.) put Augustana up 1-0 with a leadoff homer in the top of the second and consecutive singles by Jacob Barker (Windsor HS, Severance, Colo.), Jake Huber (Lockport HS, Homer Glen, Ill.) and Mitchell Owens (Moline HS, Moline, Ill.) made it 2-0 in the third. Barker came around to score on Owens' RBI base hit.
 
With two out in the bottom of the third, Bluffton loaded the bases, but Viking starter Matt Hoban (Monarch HS, Westminster, Colo.) fanned cleanup hitter Lenny Winiarski to escape unscathed.
 
After Augustana stranded two runners in both the fourth and fifth innings, the Beavers chipped away with a run each in the bottom halves. Garrett O'Reilly touched Hoban for a leadoff single in the fourth and scored on Adam Duncan's one-out RBI single. Parker Reynolds' RBI single in the fifth tied it at 2-2 and knocked out Hoban. However, Chamberlain came out of the pen to coax an O'Reilly fly out, leaving two runners stranded.
 
Consecutive singles by Barker and Huber to start the seventh knocked out Beaver starter Spencer Garrison in favor of Josh Slade. After Slade retired Owens, the runners moved to second and third on Reynolds' errant pickoff throw from behind the plate. Wise took advantage, lifting a sacrifice fly to center that plated Barker with the go-ahead run.
 
Chamberlain struck out the side in the bottom of the seventh and his teammates gave him an insurance run in the top of the eighth. Griffen Pschigoda (Wheaton Warrenville South HS, Wheaton, Ill.) drew a one-out walk, stole second and came around to score on a Bluffton error.
 
Chamberlain pitched around two hits in the bottom of the eighth and set the Beavers down in order in the ninth.
 
Chamberlain allowed just two hits and walked none while fanning seven in his 4 1/3-inning stint. He earned the win in his first decision of the year. Hoban gave up four hits and struck out six in 4 2/3 innings, but issued five walks. Garrison (0-1) suffered the loss.
 
The top of Wallace's order carried the offense, with Barker (3-5, two runs), Huber (2-5) and Owens (3-4, RBI) combining to go 8-for-14 in the leadoff, second and third slots, respectively.
 
The Vikings are back in action on Friday, March 6, taking on Thiel at 9:00 a.m. EST in Fort Myers.