WHITEWATER, Wis. – Augustana baseball (34-12) saw their season come to an end this evening in the regional round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament. The Vikings faced Aurora University (35-10) for the second time in as many days and their second game in the same day. Augie could not bounce back from an early 6-0 deficit and fell to the Spartans in the season finale.
 
Aurora started the day with a bang after posting four runs in the top of the first inning. Dylan White singled up the middle to get the Spartans on the board. Jacob Ambuel followed with a two-RBI double before a Collin Meinert ground out plated another. The Spartans added two more runs in the second inning on another RBI single and a wild pitch.
 
Augustana got on the board in the fourth inning when Alex Simon grounded out to score Kyle Wise. The Vikings could not manage any more offensive production, and Aurora continued their scoring through the final few innings. The Spartans brought another run across in the sixth and plated three more in the top of the eighth to reach the eventual 10-1 final score.
 
Zachary Vrbancic recorded the only hit of the game for the Vikings. Wise's run was the also only score Augustana could muster. Nathaniel Sammer took the loss for Augie after throwing just one inning.
 
With the loss, Augustana's season came to an end. The Vikings finished with a 34-12 record overall and an 11-7 mark in conference play.
 
Aurora's win moved the Spartans into the regional championship series tomorrow against the hosts from UW-Whitewater.