> Box Score

TUCSON, Ariz. – Augustana scored two insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth inning which proved to be the difference in a 4-2 victory over Southwest Minnesota State on Friday afternoon at the Tucson Invitational at the Kino Sports Complex.
 
The two runs gave the Vikings a 4-1 lead, which was needed as SMSU scored a run in the ninth and had runners on the corners with two outs, but a strikeout ended the game, giving Augustana its third straight win.
 
Augustana is now 3-6 overall, while SMSU, which had its two-game winning streak snapped, drops to 3-7.
 
The Vikings scored first on a two-out solo home run by Jack Goihl in the bottom of the first and the game remained 1-0 until the fourth. SMSU's Austin Stubbs singled with one out and later scored on a two-out RBI double by Shane Sellner to tie the game.
 
Augustana moved back in front in the sixth, taking advantage of a pair of walks and a double to take a 2-1 advantage.
 
The Vikings picked up a two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the eighth to make the score 4-2, before SMSU mounted its rally in the ninth with two outs. Sellner singled and later scored on a fielding error by the left fielder on a single by Brandan Alfson. Another Augustana error scored Alfson a batter later, but that was as close as SMSU would come.
 
Jake Matthys (0-2) pitched a strong game, tossing 7 1/3 innings, allowing  four runs on five hits with seven strikeouts and two walks.
 
Sellner and Bluth led SMSU's nine-hit offense with two hits each.
 
Southwest Minnesota State will play again later tonight versus Concordia-St. Paul starting at 9:30 CDT.