Box Score
Central Region Tournament Website

 

TEAM	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E	L
AUGIE	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1		2	4	1	7
ATU	0	0	1	0	0	0	3	0	X		4	4	0	3

Russellville, Ark. – Sixth seeded Augustana fell to top seeded Arkansas Tech 4-2 in the opening round of the NCAA Central Region Tournament. The Vikings will now take on fifth seeded Arkansas Monticello on Friday at noon in an elimination game.  ATU will advance to take on Emporia State at 3:30 p.m.

Minnesota State will take on Southern Arkansas in the winners bracket at 7 p.m.

The Vikings were held to four hits, the fifth time this year Augustana has been held to five-or-fewer hits in a game in 2014.

Alex Fink was the lone bright spot for the Vikings at the plate, going 3 for 4 with a RBI and run scored.

Kye Winter (8-1) dropped his first game of the season in the loss. Winter went 6.1 innings, giving up four runs, three earned, on four hits. The Willow Lake, S.D. native struck out four in the contest.

Augustana had a scoring chance they couldn't convert in the top of the third inning. After two quick outs by Brian Duxbury and Jacob James, The Vikings were able to load the bases for Tony Viger. The Sioux Falls, S.D. native was unable to take advantage though, and hit an inning-ending fly out to right field to keep the game scoreless.

The Wonder Boys jumped out to a 1-0 lead after Sage Boehner's ground out to second base resulted in James Sharp scoring from third base in the bottom half of the third.

Fink would tie the game up at 1-1 for Augustana in the top of the sixth after ripping a two-out RBI single to right field that scored Jake Petersen from third. It was Fink's second hit in the ballgame.

ATU took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the seventh inning on a Zach Johnson RBI single to left field that scored the runner from second base. Arkansas Tech added two more runs in the inning to push its lead to 4-1 in the contest.

Augustana had one last chance in the top of the ninth. The Vikings scored a run after Duxbury hit a sac fly to center field to score Fink from third base, cutting the Wonder Boys' lead to two at 4-2. Josh Benson then was walked to juice the bases again with two outs. T.J. Davis though flied out to right field to end the game, giving ATU the 4-2 victory.

Augustana will play Arkansas-Monticello in an elimination game on Friday at 12 p.m. at Tech Field.