ROCK ISLAND, Ill. -- The Augustana Vikings softball team was defeated in their home opener on Saturday, dropping two games to the visiting Illinois Wesleyan Titans by score of 7-2 and 6-4 from Carver Field.
Game One (L 7-2)
Morgan Bielfeldt got the Vikings on the board first in the opening contest, sending a single to the outfield in the bottom of the first to bring in
Josie Smith. The Titans evened things back up with a home run in the second to make it 1-1, but
Nadia Ranieri sent one over the fence herself in the bottom half to gve the Vikings the one-run lead back in their favor.
Illinois Wesleyan took the lead in the third on a sacrifice fly and RBI double and later on used a wild pitch and three-run home run in the fifth to extend their margin to five. Augie secured a hit in each of the sixth and seventh innings, but were unable to muster a comeback as IWU took game one by a score of 7-2.
Five different Vikings tallied a hit in game one. Ranieri suffered the loss on the mound after giving three runs total, two earned, in three innings pitched.
Game Two (L 6-4)
In the second half of the doubleheader, it was Illinois Wesleyan who struck first, pushing one across in the bottom half of the opening frame. The two teams traded scores in the second, with the Vikings getting theirs on a Bielfeldt home run before they took the lead in the third thanks to a
Claire Weeks two-run single.
Augie's 3-2 advantage did not last long as the Titans responded with a grand slam in the bottom half of the third to give them a 6-3 lead. An error in the fourth brought in one more for the Vikings, but the team went the final three innings without the benefit of a hit and Illinois Wesleyan finished the game with the 6-4 win.
For the second consecutive game, Augie finished with five hits, all from five different players. Ranieri went three innings on the mound in relief without allowing a hit.
With the losses, Augustana drops to 13-8 overall and 1-3 in CCIW action. The team will be back in action at home on Wednesday, April 13 when they host the Monmouth Scots in a non-conference doubleheader. First pitch of game one is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. from Carver Field.
