KENOSHA, Wis. – Griffen Pschigoda (Wheaton Warrenville South HS, Wheaton, Ill.) hit a pair of three-run homers Monday to lead Augustana to a 12-4 win over Carthage at Augie Schmidt Field. Coach Greg Wallace's club improved to 23-5 on the season and 15-5 in the CCIW, while the host Firebirds fell to 11-15 and 6-13, respectively.
 
The visitors struck for four runs in the top of the first. Carthage starter Nic Vitiritti hit leadoff man Michael Gattuso (St. Charles North HS, St. Charles, Ill.) and Mitchell Owens (Moline HS, Moline, Ill.) and walked Matt Ozanic (East Leyden HS, Franklin Park, Ill.) to load the bases. Matt Helms' (Palatine HS, Palatine, Ill.) fielder's choice plated Gattuso with the game's first run and Pschigoda followed with a three-run blast to left.
 
Gattuso homered with one out in the second—the first of five straight innings that the Vikings would score exactly one run. Meanwhile, starter Alec Michaelson (Willowbrook HS, Lombard, Ill.) was holding Carthage in check.
 
Kyle Wise's (Geneseo HS, Geneseo, Ill.) RBI single in the third made it 6-0 before the Firebirds strung together three singles to score a run in the bottom half.
 
In the top of the fourth, Jacob DeLabio fanned the first two batters he faced, but then issued four straight walks, forcing Alex Simon (Hinsdale Central HS, Naperville, Ill.) in to make it 7-1. Gattuso's fifth-inning RBI double to right scored Alec McGinnis (Normal West HS, Normal, Ill.) to make it 8-1.
 
Cody Phelps touched Michaelson for a two-run homer in the bottom of the fifth, but Augustana added a run in the sixth on two more hit batters, a passed ball and Wise's RBI groundout.
 
Ben Reitz finally put a goose egg on the board in the Viking seventh, but Wallace's bunch added three in the eighth. Owens doubled leading off and Ozanic walked. One out later, Pschigoda launched his second three-run homer of the day to make it 12-3.
 
Carthage plated a run in the ninth, but reliever Anthony Sus (Grandview HS, Englewood, Colo.) got Cody Klein to ground to third to end the game.
 
Michaelson earned his staff-leading fifth win in as many decisions this year. He went 6 2/3 innings and allowed eight hits and three runs with one walk and six strikeouts. Jacob Reusch (Mercer County HS, Aledo, Ill.) threw a scoreless inning and a third and Sus pitched the ninth. Vitiritti (1-2) lasted just 2/3 of an inning and suffered the loss.
 
Gattuso, Pschigoda and Wise each had two of Augustana's nine hits. The Vikings also drew seven walks and were hit by four pitches. Ozanic scored three runs and Pschigoda knocked in six.
 
Next up is a single game at league-leading North Central on Wednesday, April 28 at 3:00 p.m.