CLERMONT, Fla. -- The Augustana Vikings softball team saw their win streak hit seven games following a pair of victories on Tuesday over the Gustavus Adolphus Gusties and UW-Whitewater Warhawks at THE Spring Games down in Florida.
Game One (W 4-3 vs. Gustavus Adolphus)
The Vikings found themselves in an early hole following two runs from the Gusties in their opening at-bat. Gustavus Adolphus added one more in the second to stretch their lead to 3-0 before an RBI single from
Erin Smith in the top of the third got the Vikings on the scoreboard and within two. In the fourth,
Claire Weeks began Augustana's half of the inning with a base hit, but consecutive fly outs kept her at first. With two down,
Ashley Dehmlow came through with a two-run home run, her first of the season, to knot the game at three runs apiece.
The fifth and sixth innings went scoreless both ways, bringing the deadlock into the seventh. A leadoff double from
Nichole Nash and a hit batter put two Vikings on with nobody out. After a fly out, a walk loaded the bases before Weeks sent a single down the right field line to bring in Nash. The one-run advantage for Augie held in the bottom half to give them another come-from-behind victory to keep off the Tuesday slate.
Augustana outhit Gustavus Adolphus 9-7, led by Weeks' three hits. Dehmlow and Nash each added a pair as well.
Shaye Arwood earned the win on the mound, posting a complete game and striking out four.
Game Two (W 4-2 vs. UW-Whitewater)
In the second contest of the day, the Vikings struck first in their opening bat to earn the early advantage over the Warhawks. The RBI single in the first from Smith did not last long as Whitewater answered in the top of the second with two runs to take control for the time being.
The 2-1 lead for the Warhawks held in tact until the bottom of the fifth when Augustana plated three to put them up two. The inning was fueled by two errors that set up an RBI single from Nash to tie the game at 2-2. Later on in the frame, Weeks continued her dominating day at the plate, bringing in two more with a base hit up the middle. Augie held Whitewater without a run for the final five innings and without a hit for the final three, allowing just four base hits to the Warhawks all game.
Nadia Ranieri earned the win in relief, finishing the final three innings without allowing a hit. Weeks tallied her second multi-hit performance of the day, finishing 2-3 with the two runs batted in.
With the wins, Augustana improves to 11-2 on the season. The team will have a day off on Wednesday before a single game on Thursday, March 24 against the No. 18 ranked UW-Oshkosh Titans. First pitch is scheduled for 9:15 a.m. CST.
