WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – The Augustana Vikings baseball team capped off a strong spring break showing on Monday afternoon, defeating Carleton 7–3 at the RussMatt Invitational to close out their Florida trip. The Vikings used steady offense and a strong performance on the mound to pull away, scoring in four different innings to secure the win.

After two scoreless innings to begin the game, the Vikings broke through in the third inning. AJ Macak reached base to start the rally before Ryan Coon followed with a base hit to put runners in scoring position. A walk loaded the bases, and Kaileb Hackman worked another free pass to bring home the first run of the game. Moments later, Charlie Bergin drove in a run with a groundout, allowing Coon to cross the plate and give Augustana a 2–1 lead.

The Vikings built on that advantage in the fourth inning with a three-run frame to swell the margin. Carson Vitry reached base to open the inning before Christian Clark followed with a hit of his own. Macak later came through with an RBI single to bring home a run, and Coon added another RBI knock to extend the lead. Hackman capped the inning by bringing home the third run of the frame, pushing the Viking further in front,  5–1.

The Knights notched two runs in the top of the frame to trim the deficit to two. Unwilling to settle, Augustana added an extra run in the same frame to keep Carleton at bay. Riley Hendren reached base and later came around to score thanks to a Christian Clarke sacrifice pop up, making it 6-3 to wrap up the inning. Augustana tacked on one more in the eighth inning, putting the game out of reach. Coon worked his way on base and eventually crossed the plate, the final run in the 7-3 victory. 

On the mound, Ethan McGraw delivered a strong three inning start. Brian Fischer worked the middle frames, before the Augustana bullpen followed with multiple pitchers to close out the victory. 
At the plate, Bergin led the way with a multi-hit performance, while several Vikings contributed throughout the lineup as Augustana totaled 10 hits on the afternoon. The Vikings also applied pressure on the bases, swiping five bags, putting themselves in scoring position.

With the victory, Augustana improves to 13–4 on the season and closes out its spring break trip 3-1. The Vikings enjoy three days off before kicking off CCIW play at Wheaton on Friday, March 27. First pitch is set for 5 p.m.