By: Andy Thurston, Augustana Athletics Communications
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. The Augustana bats were alive and well on Thursday afternoon, taking down Wayne State 25-4 at The Birdcage. The 25 runs are the most in NSIC Tournament history.
With the win, the Vikings (38-14) move onto the finals of the winners bracket where they will face top-seeded Minnesota State at noon for the chance to reach the NSIC Championship game. The Wildcats (30-21) will play tonight in an elimination game.
Jack Hines had three hits and eight RBI while scoring three runs while Sam Siegel added three hits, four RBI, three runs and two walks. Trevor Winterstein scored five runs out of the leadoff spot, Carter Heinsch reached base five times and scored three runs while driving in three and Jake Lundquist had five RBI to round out the offensive explosion. 13 Vikings, including all nine starters, had at least a hit.
J.D. Hennen (7-1) allowed two unearned runs and just one hit in five innings while striking out three. Cal Schmelzle followed with two runs in two innings. Siegel entered the game in the eighth inning and threw a scoreless frame in his collegiate pitching debut. Bjorn Lind got the ninth
A Jack Hines sac fly opened the scoring in the bottom of the first inning to give AU an early 1-0 lead. A dropped fly ball with two outs in the top of the second allowed the Wildcats to even the score at 1-1.
The game was tied until the bottom of the third. Winterstein drew a one-out walk and reached third on a Heinsch double. Hines followed it up with a double of his own, scoring both. Hines moved to third on a ball out of play and came around to score with two outs on a Siegel single to make it 4-1.
With the score 4-2 in the bottom of the fourth, Heinsch recorded an RBI single and Hines followed with a sac fly to double the lead at 6-2.
The floodgates opened in the fifth to put the game out of reach. With the bases loaded and nobody out, AU recorded a single and two walks to keep the bases loaded and Jack Hines slugged a grand slam to clear them. The Vikings scored the final run of the inning on a fielder's choice to take a 14-2 lead.
In the sixth, Winterstein singled, Heinsch walked and Hines reached on an error to load the bases with no outs. Soelter walked to bring in Winterstein and Koskie had an RBI single to keep the line moving.
On the first pitch he saw after Koskie's knock, Siegel cleared the bases with a three-run double to left center. Pinnow moved him to third on a single and Joe Kolbeck was hit by a pitch to reload the bases.
Lundquist dug in and jolted the first pitch he saw over the left field fence for a grand slam, the second AU grand slam of the day, to make it 23-2 AU.
The Vikings scored two more runs in the bottom of the seventh after two WSC runs in the top of the inning. Lundquist came home on a fielder's choice and Heinsch drew a bases loaded walk to round out the scoring.