MOLINE, Ill. – The No. 1 seeded Augustana baseball team defeated the No. 6-seeded Carroll Pioneers by an 11-1 score in eight innings on Wednesday to kick off the CCIW Tournament.
Josh Wintroub took the mound to start the tournament journey, tossing a three-up, three-down first inning to prompt the Vikings' offense. Augie wasted little time in the bottom of the frame as Alex Simon blasted a two-run home run in the second at-bat before Alec McGinnis mashed a run-scoring double to put the Vikings ahead 3-0. Wintroub pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the second to hold Carroll scoreless, while the Augustana bats added two more runs in the bottom side of the inning. With two runners on, Matt Ozanic hit a sacrifice fly to bring in the first run, followed by Kyle Campbell's RBI single to center in the ensuing at-bat to build a five-run cushion. Augie carried their momentum into the third, with Wintroub striking out the side in another clean inning before Simon plated a lone score on an RBI single to seize a 6-0 advantage.
Following a quiet fourth inning from both teams, the Vikings resumed scoring in the fifth on an RBI single by Ozanic to extend their lead to seven. The Pioneers added their lone run of the contest in the seventh on a home run to trim the deficit back down to six, but the Vikings snuffed out any comeback hopes with a walk-off run-rule triumph in the eighth inning. With a bases-loaded look in the final frame, Zachary Vrbancic plated the Vikings first run with a single to left field. Cole Green drew a walk to score Chase Maifield the following at-bat before Ozanic knocked in the game-winning run shortly after to put the game at its 11-1 final.
Wintroub earned his seventh win, tossing 6.1 innings and striking out 11 batters while allowing just one run. The Vikings outhit the Pioneers 15-4, paced by Ozanic and his 3-4 effort with four runs batted in.
The Vikings will continue tournament play tomorrow at 2:30 p.m. from Swanson Stadium/Brunner Field when they take on the loser of Millikin and North Park.
