ROCK ISLAND -- The Augustana Vikings baseball team will host their first home contests of the season this weekend when they battle the Luther Norse on March 2-3.
The Vikings sit at 4-1 on the season and return after securing three wins at the Illinois College Invitational on February 23-25. On Sunday in their most recent outing, the Vikings defeated Simpson in seven innings with a final score of 18-3.
In the game, Augie scored in the second inning after Dymitri Kanellakis singled and Grant Biggins hit a triple to bring Kanellakis home. Biggins advanced home after a single by Charlie Bergin to secure a 2-0 lead. In the third inning, the first five base runners reached by either a walk or hit by pitch, with Alex Simon running home after a single by Bergin. Michael Aragon brought home Biggins after a single before a wild pitch brought Bergin home. Daniel Mosele smacked a double to advance Aragon home to bring the Vikings up by nine.
The Vikings added four more in the fourth to make a 13-0 game, with Augie's first five hitters once again reaching base by either a walk or hit by a pitch. Alec McGinnis and Simon crossed home plate due to walks, and Aragon hit a single to add two more tallies to the board. Simpson earned two runs, but the Vikings followed with two of their own in the fifth. Simon ran home after an RBI groundout before a single by Bergin brought home Kanellakis. Augustana closed out the final inning with a three-run inside-the-park home run by Cole Green.
Luther enters the contest with an overall record of 2-1 and an 0-1 road record. The Norse return to play after a 4-3 loss against Saint Mary's (Minn.) on Monday. During the 2023 season, Luther finished with an overall record of 28-15 were 6-9 on the road. Augie holds a 6-2 all-time record over the Norse, with their last matchup being on March 4, 2023, an 18-4 win for Augustana down in Topeka, Kan.
The first game on Saturday is scheduled for 12 p.m. at Swanson Stadium/Brunner Field, with game two to follow. Sunday's contest will begin at 11 a.m.
