CAROL STREAM, Ill. – Caleb Buehrle went the distance and Frank Bryan homered twice for Millikin Thursday, leading the third-seeded Big Blue to a 5-3 win over second seed Augustana at the CCIW Tournament at Lee Pfund Stadium. The 24th-ranked Vikings, now 34-8 on the year, will face North Park in an elimination game in Naperville, Illinois on Friday, May 21. First pitch is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. Millikin (29-13) advances to face the tournament's other unbeaten team, fourth-seeded Carroll (22-20), on Friday at  3:00 p.m.
 
Bryan staked Buehrle to an early lead with a two-out solo homer to left off Sam Cregan (Air Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.) in the top of the first. The Big Blue right-hander cruised through the first three innings, facing the minimum, and his teammates added a run in the fourth when Brent Beals led off with a double to left and scored on an Augustana error.
 
The Vikings tied it with two in the bottom of the fourth. Michael Gattuso (St. Charles North HS, St. Charles, Ill.) had a leadoff single and moved to second on an Alex Simon (Hinsdale Central HS, Naperville, Ill.) sacrifice. Mitchell Owens (Moline HS, Moline, Ill.) singled Gattuso to third and he scored on Matt Ozanic's (East Leyden HS, Franklin Park, Ill.) sacrifice fly to left. Owens stole second and came around with the tying run on Griffen Pschigoda's (Wheaton Warrenville South HS, Wheaton, Ill.) single to left.
 
Cregan exited after a leadoff walk in the top of the fifth and one out later, Bryan touched reliever Jacob Irwin (Hersey HS, Arlington Heights, Ill.) for a two-run homer to left center and a 4-2 Millikin lead.
 
Each team tallied a run in the seventh. Gabe Soria drew a leadoff walk in the top half, stole second and scored on Beals' single to center. Augustana countered with a leadoff homer by Pschigoda in the bottom half, but Buehrle pitched out of a jam, leaving two runners stranded.
 
John Hayes (Cherry Creek HS, Greenwood Village, Colo.) came out of the pen in the ninth to get the Vikings out of a two-on, one-out situation and his teammates mounted a threat in the bottom of the frame. Matt Helms (Palatine HS, Palatine, Ill.) singled to left with one out and pinch-hitter Chase Maifield (Grant HS, Round Lake, Ill.) drove a single through the middle with two down, but Buehrle got Gattuso swinging to end the game.
 
Buehrle scattered 10 hits, walked just one and didn't hit a batter. Half of his ten strikeouts came on called third strikes. He improved to 6-3 on the season, with two of those victories coming against Augustana. Cregan (4-2), who gave up six hits and three runs (two earned) with a walk and three strikeouts, took the loss.
 
Pschigoda and Owens were each 2-for-4 and Pschigoda drove in two runs. Bryan finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored and three knocked in and Beals went 3-for-5.