FORT MYERS, Fla. – Thiel pushed across four runs in the bottom of the eighth inning Friday morning to defeat Augustana 7-5 at the Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic. The Bobcats improved to 4-1 on the season, while the Vikings dropped to 2-3.
 
With Augustana on top 5-3, Viking closer John Hayes (Cheery Creek HS, Greenwood Village, Colo.) came on the start the bottom of the eighth. He fanned the first two batters he faced before Anthony Rago touched him for a double. A walk and a hit batter loaded the bases and another base-on-balls forced in a run. Anthony Sebastian then singled in the tying and go-ahead runs. Max Mead (Lakewood HS, Lakewood, Colo.) came out of the pen and surrendered an RBI single to Christian Aldrich before inducing a Joe Mott flyout to end the inning.
 
Jake Huber (Lockport HS, Homer Glen, Ill.) had a leadoff single in the top of the ninth and Kyle Wise (Geneseo HS, Geneseo, Ill.) reached on a one-out error, but both were left stranded as Thiel closed things out.
 
Jacob Barker (Windsor HS, Severance, Colo.) led off the game with a single off Bobcat Sante Carducci and scored on Mitchell Owens' (Moline HS, Moline, Ill.) sacrifice fly to right. Augustana extended the lead to 2-0 with a run in the second. Freshman Joe Marcucci (Rolling Meadows HS, Arlington Heights, Ill.) and sophomore Matt Helms (Palatine HS, Palatine, Ill.) drew walks to start the inning and Helms eventually scored on Michael Nerger's (Naperville Central HS, Naperville, Ill.) two-out single.
 
The Bobcats got to Viking starter Chris Refka (Palatine HS, Palatine, Ill.) for an unearned run in the third. Nash Matson reached on an error leading off and cut the deficit in half when he scored on a Sebastian double. However, Augustana stretched its advantage to 5-1 in the top of the fourth on Barker's two-out, bases-loaded triple.
 
Aldrch's leadoff homer in the sixth made it 5-2 and Thiel added another unearned run in the seventh. Rago reached on an error leading off and a Griffin Curry double and a hit batter loaded the bases. Junior Alec Michaelson (Willowbrook HS, Lombard, Ill.) relieved Refka and after giving up a sacrifice fly to Jamin Wentling and hitting Sebastian, got the final two outs to keep the score at 5-3.
 
Refka went six innings in his first appearance of the year. He gave up seven hits and three runs—just one of which was earned—walked one and struck out three. Hayes (0-1) suffered the loss.
 
Barker went 2-for-5 with three RBI and Huber was 2-for-5 as well. Helms scored twice.
 
Coach Greg Wallace's club is back in action at the Cusic Classic on Saturday, March 7, taking on Otterbein at 9:00 a.m. EST.