NAPERVILLE, Ill. -- The Augustana Vikings softball team earned a split to start their CCIW slate on Sunday, falling in game to the North Central Cardinals by a score of 4-1 before winning game two by a 3-2 final.

Game One (L 4-1)

After two innings of scoreless play, North Central struck first in the bottom of the third for the game's first run. The home team doubled their lead with another score in the fourth before Augustana cut it back to one in their half of the sixth. With one out, Nadia Ranieri got on base with a single, later scoring on a double from Morgan Bielfeldt. The Cardinals answered with two in their half of the sixth to make it 4-1. The Vikings put together a scoring threat in their final opportunity, seeing back-to-back hits Claudia Buchholz and Meghan Nixon to begin the seventh, but could not cash in as North Central took the opener.

The Vikings posted eight hits in game one, led by two each from Ranieri, Nixon, and Buchholz. Ranieri also struck out seven on the mound in five innings.

Game Two (W 3-2)

As the home team in game two, the Vikings found themselves trailing early on, enduring a two-spot from the Cardinals in their opening at-bat. Three of North Central's five hits for the game came in the first innings,w with their other two coming in the second and fifth. Augie cut the deficit to one in their half of the second, benefiting from a two-out RBI single from Kennedy Williams to make it 2-1.

Still trailing by a run, the Vikings put their opening hitting on base due to an error in the bottom of the fifth inning, which later came in to score on another two-out hit, this time from Emily Gad. The two teams traded scoreless sixth innings prior to the Vikings keeping the Cardinals off of the scoreboard in the seventh to set up a walk-off opportunity. With a runner on third and just one out, Bielfeldt was intentionally walked to put runners on the corners. A fielder's choice resulted in the Vikings being thrown out at home, but Ashlyn Mathers delivered during the ensuing at-bat with the team's third two-out, run-producing hit of the game to earn the walk-off win.

Augie out-hit North Central 9-5 in the win, led by multi-hit efforts from both Gad and Mathers. Ranieri went the distance on the mound to garner the win, striking out nine.

With the results, Augustana now sits at 9-9 overall and 1-1 in the CCIW. The team will return to action on Friday, April 7 for their first home game of the year when they host the Carthage Firebirds. Start time is scheduled for 1 p.m. from Carver Field.