CHICAGO, Ill. – Augustana baseball hits the road for conference battles against North Park and No. 23 North Central from April 7-8. Augie will face the Vikings on Friday in a doubleheader before traveling to Naperville, Ill. to battle the Cardinals on Saturday, concluding their regular-season series against the ranked CCIW rival.
The Vikings possess a 16-5 record, 1-1 in conference, with their most recent action resulting in a 14-8 loss to North Central on Wednesday. Augie found themselves in an early four-run hole, responding with three runs in the bottom of the third to cut the lead to one. The Cardinals scored nine runs in the fourth frame to go ahead by double figures, but the Vikings responded with two runs of their own in the bottom of the inning to make the score 13-5. Augie attempted to claw their way back with a score in the sixth and two in the seventh but could not close the gap as the Cardinals grabbed the road win. The Vikings secured nine hits, paced by Alec McGinnis and Brett Benedetti with two apiece. Cole Green secured three runs batted in to lead the team.
North Park currently owns an 8-15 record, 2-2 in the conference, with their most recent action resulting in a 9-5 loss to Carroll on Wednesday. North Park tied the game at 4-4 in the top of the fifth inning before the Pioneers' offense ignited for five runs in their next three chances at the plate. A North Park score in the top of the ninth proved insufficient, as the Vikings had their two-game win streak halted with the loss. The Pioneers out-hit North Park 16-8, with Justin Swanson and Bobby Bartlett leading the way with two hits each. Augustana holds an 82-48 lead over North Park in the all-time series, with their most recent meeting resulting in a 2-1 CCIW Tournament victory for Augie in Naperville on May 13, 2022.
No. 23 ranked North Central holds a 12-7 record, 1-3 in the conference, with their most recent action resulting in a 14-8 road triumph over Augustana on Wednesday. The Vikings own a 91-89 edge over North Central in the all-time series.
The action begins in the Windy City on Friday, with the doubleheader against North Park starting at 1:00 p.m. from Holmgren Athletic Complex. Saturday's contest against North Central also begins at 1:00 p.m. from Zimmerman Stadium. Stream links for the conference matchups can be found here for NPU and here for NCC.
