SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - The Southwest Minnesota State baseball team opened Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play on Friday in Sioux Falls, S.D., dropping a pair of close games to Augustana by scores of 5-3 and 7-5.

SMSU (5-11-1, 0-2 NSIC) put together a pair of late comebacks in both games – ending game one with the tying run at the plate and ending the nightcap with the tying run on second base – but it wasn't enough to overcome early deficits. 

Augustana (13-9, 2-0 NSIC) used a pair of strong pitching performances in the two games with Jordan Milbrath picking up the victory in game one with nine strikeouts in 6.1 innings, while Ben Heairet tossed 6.2 innings in game two with nine strikeouts.  Derek Quame closed out both games to earn his sixth and seventh saves of the season.

In the opener, the Vikings scored a run in the first and added another run in the fourth to take a 2-0 lead. 

Augustana added a pair of runs in the fifth, before SMSU pushed across a run in the sixth on an RBI single by Nick Tillo to make the score 4-1.

The Vikings made it 5-1 with a run in the sixth before SMSU mounted a rally in the seventh.  Kyle Young walked to lead off the inning before Steven Kremer belted his first career home run to trim the deficit to 5-3.  Ben Korger singled with one out, but Quame entered the game and coaxed a pair of ground outs to end the game.

SMSU starter Alex Alvarez (0-1) suffered the loss, tossing the first three innings, allowing one run on four hits with two walks and one strikeout, before leaving in the fourth inning with an injury.

Tillo led SMSU's six-hit attack with two hits and one RBI.

In game two, the Vikings built a 7-1 advantage after five innings, before SMSU rallied late in the game.

Trailing 1-0 in the second inning, SMSU tied the game with Tillo scoring on a wild pitch, but Augustana added single runs in the third and fourth innings to take a 3-1 lead.  The Vikings then opened the game up with a four-run fifth inning to take a 7-1 advantage.

SMSU started its rally in the seventh with a Brian Ness single and a fielding error to put runners on first and second.  Following a fly out, Kyle Young singled to score Ness and make the score 7-2.  A single by Elliot Serbus loaded the bases, before Tanner Neale made it 7-3 with a sac fly.  Ben Korger cut the Viking lead to 7-4 with a run-scoring single and was followed by an infield hit by Ryan Engels to load the bases.  A throwing error following a pitch by the Augustana catcher allowed a run to score, but on the play SMSU had a runner thrown out at third base to end the inning with SMSU trailing 7-5.

The game remained 7-5 until the ninth when SMSU put together back-to-back one out walks to put the tying-run on base, but a ground out and strikeout ended the game with runners on second and third.

Steven Wehr (0-1) allowed six runs, four earned, in four innings with three strikeouts and two walks.  Taylor Klingenberg and Dylan Shoemaker combined to toss the final four innings, allowing just one unearned run with two strikeouts.

SMSU finished game two with seven hits, with Young leading the way going 2 for 4 with a run scored an RBI, while Korger added two hits and an RBI.

The two teams conclude the four-game series tomorrow with a doubleheader starting at 12 p.m. in Sioux Falls.