MOLINE, Ill. -- The Augustana Vikings baseball team secured the first game of the three-game series against the Carroll Pioneers on Friday by a final score of 6-5. 

The Vikings scored first in the bottom of the second after Ryan Coon singled and Kaileb Hackman doubled to get runners on second and third. Charlie Bergin singled to center field during the next at-bat to bring both runners home and grab the early lead. 

Both teams put up goose eggs in the second inning before the Pioneers scored their first in the top of the third. In the bottom of the inning, Augie tallied two more after Coon scored on a sacrifice fly by Grant Biggins and Hackman crossed home plate on a fielder's choice drawn by Colton Davis to create a 4-1 game. Carroll put up one in the fourth inning and followed with three more in the top of the fifth to move out in front 5-4.

In the bottom of the seventh, Daniel Mosele singled and advanced to second on a wild pitch before coming home on a single by Coon to even the game at five apiece. In the following inning, Cole Green reached base on a walk and advanced on a sacrifice bunt and wild pitch to sit at third. With two outs, Mosele singled to center field to send Green home and regain the lead 6-5. The Vikings held the Pioneers at five after three consecutive outs in the ninth to conquer the first game in the three-game series. 

Augie collected 11 hits, with Coon leading with two, while Bergin batted two runs in. Adam Bendoraitis earned the win on the mound with 3.1 innings pitched and just one hit allowed. 

With the win, the Vikings improve to 16-13 on the season and 5-6 in conference play. The team will be back in action tomorrow for a doubleheader at Carroll.