BOX SCORE

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – No. 2 seed Augustana scored multiple runs in five innings and pounded out 17 hits to earn a 12-5 victory over No. 7 Southwest Minnesota State in the opening round of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Tournament at Karras Park on the campus of Augustana College.
 
Augustana (37-14), ranked sixth in this week's NCAA Central Region rankings, will now face No. 3 seed St. Cloud State on Thursday at 2 p.m. SMSU (26-22) will take on Northern State tonight at 7 p.m. at Karras Park. SMSU has defeated NSU six of seven times this season, including winning three of four this past weekend in Marshall.
 
The Vikings built an 8-1 lead after five innings, before the Mustangs rallied to make the score 8-5 in the sixth. Augustana answered with two more runs in the bottom of the sixth and two more in the eighth to seal its fifth straight win over SMSU this season.
 
Jake Petersen and Tony Viger each collected three hits for Vikings, while Petersen and Brian Duxbury each finished with three RBIs.
 
Austin Stubbs led SMSU's 11-hit attack going 3 for 4 with two RBIs, while Ben Korger and Patrick Rients each went 2 for 4.
 
SMSU opened the game's scoring in the top of the first as Rients ripped a two-out single and advanced to second on an error by the Augustana centerfielder. Stubbs then laced an RBI single to right-center to score Rients and put SMSU in the lead at 1-0.
 
Augustana took the lead in the bottom of the second plating three runs. Duxbury started the scoring with an RBI single, before a sac fly by Zach Dibble and an RBI double by Peterson gave the Vikings a 3-1 lead.
 
The Vikings added to the lead in the third on a two-run double by Duxbury to make the score 5-1, then pushed across three unearned runs in the fifth on four hits and one SMSU error to build an 8-1 advantage and chase SMSU starter Steven Wehr with two outs in the fifth.
 
SMSU cut into the deficit in the top of the sixth as Jordon Kontz and Rients started the rally with singles, before Stubbs hit an RBI single to center to score Kontz and Rients as the centerfield misplayed the ball to allow a second run to score. Jon Ellis hit a double to left field to put runners on second and third, before Brandan Alfson singled to right field to make the score 8-4. A ground out by Sam Haas scored another run to trim the Augustana lead to 8-5.
 
The Vikings' Alex Fink answered in a big way the home half of the sixth with a two-run homer to give Augustana a 10-5 lead and never looked back in earning the victory.
 
Wehr (5-4) suffered the loss for SMSU tossing 4 2/3 innings allowing 10 hits, eight runs (five earned) with one strikeout and a season-high four walks. He entered the game having walked just 10 batters all season long in 59 2/3 innings.
 
Kye Winter – a first team All-NSIC honoree – moved to 8-0 on the season scattering nine hits and allowing five runs (four earned) with eight strikeouts and one walk.