MOLINE, Ill. -- The Augustana Vikings softball team dropped a pair of close contests on Monday against the visiting UW-Platteville Pioneers, falling in 11 innings by a score of 10-9 before dropping the finale 6-5.
Aubrey Gradin was responsible for the first run of the opening game after belting a home run to center field in the bottom of the second.
Emma Evans doubled the margin for the Vikings in the following inning and the team took a 2-0 advantage into the fifth. The Pioneers scored their first runs of the evening, plating three to move out in front for the first time before adding two to their total in the sixth.
Traling 5-2, the Vikings stormed back in the bottom of the sixth with a five-run frame. A pair singles and a walk loaded the bases with one out and an infield single from
Emma Schmidt, along with an error on the same play, sent in two across home plate. Two straight passed balls and an error on a pickoff attempt brought in the final three tallies and Augustana entered the top of the seventh with a two-run lead. Platteville connected on two solo home runs to send the game to extras.
The eighth went scoreless both ways, with Rose Marmolejo highlighting the inning after pitching out of a bases-loaded jam with nobody out. The Pioneers tallied one in the ninth on a sac fly, but
Alaina Diaz's RBI double in the bottom half extended the game. A two-run home run by the visitors in the top of the 11th proved to be the difference despite an RBI hit from Stontz in the Vikings' final at-bat.
Both teams notched 15 hits in game one, with
Mikaylin Hofer and Evans each leading Augie with four hits apiece.
Augustana struck first again in game two, grabbing the first run on an error by Platteville in the bottom of the second. Three more came in to score during the ensuing inning, with Evans bringing in the first on an RBI hit before
Kennedy Williams' double pushed across the next two. The Vikings contributed one more in the fifth on a
Lauren Durst double to create a 5-0 differential entering the sixth. The Pioneers launched a solo shot to get on the scoreboard before sending in five in the top of the seventh to steal the 6-5 win.
Aubrey Gradin and
McKensey Stontz led the way with two hits.
Augustana will be back in action Firday at Elmhurst.
