MOLINE, Ill. – Augustana battled back from a late game deficit and carried a tie game into the ninth inning Saturday afternoon, but a seven-run Luther outburst in the final frame proved decisive in an 11–4 loss at Swanson Stadium.
For much of the afternoon, it was exactly the kind of tight, grind-it-out rubber match you expect in a series finale.

The Vikings struck first in the second inning. Christian Clark singled and later scored when AJ Macak lined an RBI single to right, giving Augustana a 1–0 lead.

Luther answered in the fourth, and an unearned run in the fifth gave the Norse a 2–1 advantage. In the sixth, a two-run double pushed the deficit to 4–1, but Augustana never let it get away.

Kaileb Hackman opened the seventh inning rally with a single, and Charlie Bergin followed with a walk. Ryan Theile reached on an infield single that loaded the bases and applied immediate pressure. Ethan Sosnowski brought home the first run of the inning with an RBI groundout, and after an error allowed another run to score, Clark delivered again, this time, a clutch RBI single to left that tied the game at 4–4.

Just like that, the Vikings had erased the deficit.

In the top of the eighth with one out and the go-ahead run 90 feet away, Clark fielded a ground ball and fired home to Theile, who applied the tag at the plate and kept things knotted up. Moments later, Blake Nettleton picked off the Luther runner at first base to end the inning, making way for Augustana to take over in the bottom of the frame. 

The Vikings had opportunities, but couldn't capitalize, as both teams looked to make noise in the final scheduled inning.

For Luther, a lead off single and a walk set the stage before a double down the line broke the tie. A two-run single followed, and a combination of hit-by-pitches, defensive miscues, and hits allowed the Norse to plate seven runs in the inning, taking an 11-4 margin to the bottom of the ninth. Augustana was unable to answer in the bottom half of the frame.

Clark led the Vikings offensively, going 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Macak added two hits and an RBI, while Hackman and Bergin each reached base twice as part of a nine-hit effort.

On the mound, Nettleton worked five innings, allowing four runs (two earned) while striking out five. Brian Fischer carried the game into the ninth before Luther's late surge, and Sebastian Reyes recorded the final out of the inning.

The Vikings return to action March 7–8 at the Gene Cusic Classic at Terry Park in Fort Myers, Fla. Augustana will face Pitt-Bradford in a Friday doubleheader before taking on Hiram in a pair of games Saturday.