PEORIA, Ill.. – Augustana starter Erin Smith (Columbine HS, Highlands Ranch, Colo.) went five hitless innings Thursday as the Vikings opened the 2021 softball season with a 7-1 win over Mount Mary in the MMU Collegiate Slugger Series at the Louisville Slugger Athletic Complex. Coach Kris Kistler's club is scheduled to wrap up series play on Friday, February 26, taking on Concordia-Chicago at 11:30 a.m.
 
Freshman Nadia Ranieri (Riverside-Brookfield HS, North Riverside, Ill.) led off the game with a double, moved to third on a Tristan Bautista (United Township HS, East Moline, Ill.) sacrifice and scored on a Molly Wrenn (Geneva HS, Geneva, Ill.) ground out to give Smith a 1-0 lead after a half inning.
 
After Augustana left two runners stranded in the top of the second, the Blue Angels tied it with an unearned run in the bottom half.
 
The Vikings retook the lead with a run in the fourth. Jannae Mehaffey (Cherry Creek HS, Englewood, Colo.) laced a one-out triple to right and scored when Kaitlin Rusin (Sandburg HS, Orland Park, Ill.) followed with an RBI single to left.
 
Smith scored herself an insurance run in the fifth. Her fielder's choice erased Wrenn after a leadoff double, but she later scored on a one-out error to make it 3-1. She then finished her night in the circle by pitching around a leadoff walk in the bottom of the frame.
 
After Augustana went down in order in the top of the sixth, reliever Cecelia Peine (Holt HS, Wentzville, Mo.) came on in the bottom half. She gave up a walk and a single to start the inning, but worked her way out of the jam.
 
The Vikings took advantage of two Mount Mary errors to add four runs in the top of the seventh.  Ranieri stole home, Wrenn had an RBI single and Smith and Ashley Dehmlow (McHenry West HS, Spring Grove, Ill.) each drove in a run with a double.
 
Peine struck out the side in the bottom of the seventh to earn the save.
 
Smith (1-0) allowed no hits and just an unearned run in her five-inning stint. The southpaw walked four and fanned three. Brianna Lupa went the distance for the Blue Angels, giving up 11 hits. Three of the seven runs she allowed were unearned.
 
Mehaffey and Wrenn had two hits apiece and Wrenn knocked in a pair. Smith and Ranieri each scored twice.