ROCK ISLAND -- The Augustana Vikings softball team dropped a pair of games to the Dubuque Spartans on Monday, falling in game one by a final of 6-3 before losing the finale 16-7. 

In game one, the Spartans struck first with four runs in the top of the first before building a 6-0 lead with another pair in the third. The Vikings got on the board in the bottom half of the fifth after seeing a three-run home by McKensey Stontz. Marley Behm began the frame with a walk and was followed by a base hit from Alexis Duke prior to Stontz belting her second homer of the season.

Neither team saw another run the rest of the game, with Dubuque pitching around base runners in each of the sixth and seventh to seal the game one win. Stontz finished the contest with a 3-4 effort at the plate. 

In a high-scoring game two, the Spartans again struck first, this time plating three in the top half of the second. Augie responded with a four-spot one inning later after connecting on five base hits. A walk and a single kicked off the frame before Stontz launched her second three-run home run of the evening to pull the Vikings within one. A Meghan Nixon RBI single gave Augie a 4-3 lead exiting the third. 

Dubuque added one in the fourth to pull even and moved out in front with another three-run inning in the fifth. The Vikings halted the momentum with three in the bottom half to pull within one, seeing three bases-loaded walks issued to Emma Schmidt, Duke, and Alaina Diaz. The visitors ran away with the game with eight runs in the sixth and eventually ended the game by run rule.

Haley Nelson, Duke, and Schmidt each had two hits for the Vikings in game two.

With the losses, Augustana drops to 24-10 overall. The team will be back in action Wednesday at Illinois Wesleyan.