MOLINE, Ill. – The Augustana Vikings baseball team hosted the Wheaton Thunder in their first home conference twinbill on Saturday. What began as a routine day, highlighted by honoring the program's six seniors, turned into a marathon finish, as the Vikings split the day, dropping game one 10–4 before taking the extra-innings nightcap, 18–17.
Game One: Augustana 4, Wheaton 10
The Vikings started slow and were forced to play from behind throughout the contest. In the third inning, Zach Quimby got things going by drawing a walk before Carson Vitry lifted a fly ball to move the inning along. Christian Clark followed with a single to put two runners on, setting the table for AJ Macak, who lined an RBI single through the left side to bring home Quimby for the Vikings' first run.
Augustana continued to chip away and cut into the lead. Riley Hendren was hit by a pitch to load the bases, and Kaileb Hackman followed with a sacrifice fly to center field, allowing Clark to score and trim the deficit to 4–2. The rally was short-lived, however, as the Vikings were held in check over the middle innings before making one final push in the ninth.
Ethan Sosnowski worked a leadoff walk to get things started, and Braiden Elliott delivered the biggest swing of the game for the Vikings, launching a two-run home run to cut the deficit to 10–4. Lawson Shickel followed with a single later in the inning to keep the rally alive, but Augustana was unable to manufacture any additional runs, dropping game one.
Augustana finished with six hits in game one. Elliott drove in two runs with his ninth-inning home run, while Macak and Hackman each added an RBI. On the mound, Blake Nettleton got the start and worked five innings while fanning seven. Brian Fischer followed with 1.2 innings of relief, while McGraw and Payton Knoll combined to cover the late innings. Jack Robertson closed out the final 1.1 innings, striking out two batters to end the game.
Game Two: Augustana 18, Wheaton 17 (11 innings)
Game two quickly turned into anything but routine, evolving into a four-hour, 49-minute marathon that featured 35 combined runs, multiple lead changes, and a Vikings team needed to end the day with a victory. Augustana got on the board early in the first inning when Ryan Coon reached and later scored on a sacrifice fly from Quimby, cutting into an early deficit and setting the tone that the Vikings would not go quietly. After falling behind again, the Vikings chipped away in the fourth inning. Elliott reached and came around to score on a Christian Clark RBI single up the middle, trimming the deficit to 5–2.
Augustana erupted for five runs to storm back into the game. Hackman started the rally, scoring on an RBI single from Macak. Moments later, Charlie Bergin delivered a run-scoring single before Vitry worked a bases-loaded walk to bring home another. Clark followed with the biggest swing of the inning, lining a two-RBI single to tie the game, and Coon capped the rally by drawing a walk with the bases loaded to even the score at 7–7.
The Vikings continued to respond in the sixth inning. Bergin came around to score on another Clark RBI single before Vitry crossed the plate on a Hendren base hit, tying the game once again at 9–9. After falling behind again late, Augustana answered in the eighth. Vitry came around to score on a Coon RBI single to keep the Vikings within reach at 13–10.
Down to their final three outs in the ninth, Augustana struck gold once more. A balk allowed Quimby to score before Clark came through in the clutch with a two-RBI single, bringing home Shickel and Macak to tie the game at 13–13 and send it to extras. The back-and-forth continued in the 10th inning, but once again the Vikings had an answer. Shickel delivered an RBI single to score Sosnowski before Ryan Theile was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, forcing in the tying run and keeping the game alive at 15–15.
In the 11th inning, Augustana faced another deficit but responded immediately. Hendren singled to start the frame, and after traffic built on the bases, Quimby delivered with an RBI single to tie the game. Moments later, Macak was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, forcing in the winning run and completing the 18–17 walk-off victory.
Clark led the offensive explosion with four hits and six RBI, both career highs. Coon added two hits, two RBI, and scored twice, while Quimby drove in two and reached base multiple times at the top of the order. Macak scored three times and drove in two, and Bergin added three hits as part of Augustana's 21-hit performance.
On the mound, Augustana used a full staff effort across 11 innings. Aidan Conners got the start before multiple relievers combined to navigate the high-scoring contest, with McGraw earning the win after recording the final three outs in the top of the 11th.
Augustana moves to 14–6 overall and 1–1 in CCIW play. The Vikings return to action Monday, March 30, hosting Knox at Swanson Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
