GAME 1 BOX | GAME 2 BOX

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – No. 23 Augustana picked up a pair of close Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference victories on Wednesday afternoon, sweeping past Southwest Minnesota State by scores of 3-2 and 5-3.

SMSU drops to 12-10 overall, 3-3 NSIC, while Augustana is now 25-4 overall, 5-1 NSIC.

In the opener, Theresa McMahon led off the bottom of the eighth inning with a walk-off home run to lead Augustana to a 3-2 victory.

Rachel Hoeppner suffered the loss for SMSU, tossing the complete game, allowing three runs on eight hits with one strikeout and dropping to 5-6 on the season.

The Mustangs finished with six hits, with Ashley Gigax leading the way with a pair of hits.

Augustana jumped to an early 2-0 lead after scoring single runs in the first and second innings on a pair of two-out RBI singles. 

SMSU cut the lead in half in the third as Kris Penick was hit by a pitch with one out and was followed by a Gigax single.  Penick then came around to score a batter later following an error by the Augustana third baseman.

SMSU tied the game in the fourth with its own two-out rally.  Kasey Eichten started the rally with a two-out single and moved to third on a hit by Christine Borowiak.  Penick then came through with a clutch single to score Eichten and tie the game at 2-2.

The Mustangs put runners on base in both the fifth and eighth innings, but could not push across the go-ahead run.

In game two, Janelle Trautmann pitched five shutout innings, allowing just one hit, to lead the Vikings to victory.

Chelsey Evans started in the circle for the Mustangs and dropped to 6-3 on the season.  Evans pitched five innings, allowing four hits and three runs, but just one was earned.  She struck out one and walked one batter.    

Penick led a seven-hit SMSU attack with a pair of base hits, while Borowiak belted a two-run homer for the Mustangs.

The Vikings took advantage of two SMSU errors to score two runs with no hits to build an early 2-0 lead.  The lead was extended to 3-0 in the third inning on a solo home run by Elizabeth Murray.

SMSU trimmed the lead in the sixth and had a great opportunity to tie the game.  Borowiak walked and Penick singled to start inning and following a strikeout, Krista Steen walked to load the bases.  Kaley Scearcy singled to score Borowiak and make the score 3-1, but a strikeout and ground out ended the inning with SMSU leaving the bases loaded. 

The Vikings then picked up a big pair of insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth to build the lead to 5-1.

SMSU wouldn't go down without a fight, as Samantha Goblirsch singled with one out and Borowiak followed with a two-run homer, her second of the season.  Penick then singled to put the tying run on base, but following a ground out for the second out of the inning, Penick was thrown out at home following a single by Steen, to end the game.   

Southwest Minnesota State will open its home season this weekend with four games at Mustang Field.  SMSU will take on Minnesota, Crookston on Saturday in a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m., followed by a twinbill versus MSU Moorhead on Sunday also starting at 1 p.m.