FORT MYERS, Fla. – Augustana baseball will travel to the Sunshine State from March 9-12 for the Gene Cusic Classic. The Vikings will play games against Pitt-Bradford, Rockford, Saint John's (Minn.), and Western Connecticut State.
Augie possesses a 6-2 record and is coming off a successful trip to Topeka, Kan., where they went 3-0 against Cornell, Luther, and UW-Platteville. Their triumphs last weekend extended the Vikings' win streak to five games, including two wins by run rule. In their most recent action, Augie toppled the Pioneers by a 13-3 score behind Harrison Boushele's 13-strikeout performance on the mound. Augustana's offense hummed, recording nine hits as a team, led by Alex Simon's two-hit, three-RBI outing. In the first five innings, the Vikings scored at least one run, including a six-run outburst in the fifth before closing the door on the Pioneers in the seventh.
In their opening matchup on Thursday, Augie draws the Pitt-Bradford Panthers, who own a 3-7 record. The Panthers are on a two-game skid, dropping both games in their doubleheader against Haram on March 6. They mustered zero runs in the day's opening contest but found their offense in game two with nine hits, converting to five runs. They fell in walk-off fashion after a double brought the score to 6-5 in favor of the Terriers in the seventh inning. Thursday will be the first-ever matchup between Pitt-Bradford and Augustana.
The Rockford Regents, who currently have a 2-3 record, will be the Vikings' opponent on Friday. The Regents began their season in Fort Myers, dropping their first two games before winning two of the following three. Their most recent game was against Hiram, where they defeated the Terriers 9-3. The first two innings saw Rockford jump out to a 6-0 lead before trading three runs with each other the rest of the way as the Regents held on for their second victory of the season. Rockford out-hit the Terriers 16-8 in the game, led by Jonathon Leon's 3-3 performance at the plate, tacking on three stolen bases and two runs scored. Augustana leads Rockford 13-6 in the all-time series, with the most recent matchup between the two programs resulting in a 10-6 road victory for the Vikings on April 26, 2022.
The Vikings will face the Saint John's Johnnies on Saturday for the third game of their trip. The Johnnies own a 2-4 record entering the Gene Cusic Classic and recently snapped a four-game losing streak with their 5-3 win over Lebanon Valley. Saint John's brought two runners in the sixth inning to break a 3-3 stalemate and secure the victory. Augie leads St. John's 5-0 in the all-time series, with their most recent meeting resulting in a 5-4 win for the Vikings on March 5, 2022 in Florida.
Augie finishes their southern trip with a Sunday matchup against the Western Connecticut State Wolves, who hold a 2-0 record after downing Yeshiva University in a doubleheader on February 19. The Wolves won both contests by double figures, 19-1 and 11-1. Joe Gambino and Jake Montas each drove in four hits to lead the team. Sunday's game will be the first-ever meeting between Augustana and Western Connecticut State.
Augie opens their weekend on Thursday against Pitt-Bradford at 2:00 p.m. from Terry Park field No. 4.
