ROCK ISLAND -- The Augustana Vikings softball team added two wins after sweeping the Elmhurst Bluejays on Saturday. The Vikings earned a 6-9 victory in game one before winning 3-2 in game two.
GAME ONE
The Vikings opened with a quick defensive inning, holding Elmhurst to just three batters. In the bottom half, Augie seized the momentum as Alexis Duke led off with a single to right and stole second. She later scored on a single by Aubrey Gradin to give the Vikings an early 1–0 lead.
Elmhurst went three up, three down again in the second. In the bottom half, Alaina Diaz and Emily Gad hit back-to-back singles and advanced on a wild pitch. Duke drove in both runners and stole second with two outs to make it 3–0. A'Rion Lonergan followed with an RBI single up the middle, extending the lead to 4–0.
The Bluejays got on the board with two runs in the top of the fourth, but Augie answered with five in the bottom half.
Maya Viel started the rally with a single up the middle, stole second, and moved to third on a single by
Marley Behm. During Duke's at-bat, Behm stole second, and Duke then singled to left to score Viel. Duke advanced to second on the throw home, and Lonergan drew a walk to load the bases. Gradin cleared them with a shot to left field, driving in four runs and pushing the lead to 9–2.
Elmhurst added one run in the sixth and three more in the seventh to cut the deficit to 9–6, but the Vikings held them to just that to secure the win.
Eight Vikings recorded hits in the victory, led by Duke with three. Gad and Gradin each added two hits, while Gradin batted five runs in.
Lauren Koster earned the win, pitching six innings with 70 pitches and two strikeouts.
Mya Brown closed the game in the circle, tossing one inning on 11 pitches.
GAME TWO
Augie held Elmhurst to just three batters in the first inning before Alexis Duke and Aubrey Gradin hit back-to-back solo home runs to take a 2–0 lead. Both teams remained scoreless until the Bluejays tied the game at 2–2 in the top of the fifth.
In the bottom half, Emma Schmidt singled down the left-field line and stole second. She moved into scoring position on a groundout, and Duke delivered again with an RBI single up the middle to give the Vikings a 3–2 advantage. The defense took care of the rest, limiting Elmhurst to just seven at-bats over the final two innings to secure the win.
Seven Vikings recorded hits in the second game, with Duke leading the way with two hits and two RBIs. Mikaylin Hofer started in the circle, pitching 4.2 innings on 61 pitches with four strikeouts, while Addie Garr closed the game with 2.1 innings and three strikeouts.
With the sweep, Augie improves to 19-16 on the season and 11-5 in conference play. The Vikings will be back in action tomorrow for the final home game of the season against No. 6 Simpson.
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