SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – On a sunny and windy afternoon, the Dakota Wesleyan University baseball program battled in-state and NCAA Division II opponent Augustana University in a non-conference doubleheader on Tuesday afternoon from Ronken Field in Sioux Falls, S.D. Augustana claimed the opener, 11-4, in seven innings and swept the series with an 11-1 victory in the game-two finale.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Augustana commenced game one with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning after Dakota Wesleyan stranded multiple of runners to open the contest. Thanks to back-to-back singles, the Vikings (10-3-1) registered the early 2-0 advantage off a trio of hits.
DWU bounced back with a run in the second frame as Luke LeMay singled, and Drew Kitchens and Bradley Skorczewski reached on base-on balls. Cameron Quigley kept the momentum going with a single to second base, and the Tigers (5-6) trimmed the AU advantage to 2-1. Quigley, the senior outfielder from Newcastle, Wyo., finished 2-of-3 from the plate.
Carter Howell, the junior outfielder from Moorhead, Minn., and Augustana answered back with a decisive, game-high four runs in the bottom of the second frame. Howell led all hitters with four RBIs while the Vikings reclaimed the momentum at the plate with three hits in the stanza. AU controlled a 6-1 benefit as the game reached the start of the third inning.
After Augustana scored two runs in the third and one more in the fourth frame, Dakota Wesleyan plated a pair of runs in the fifth stanza with two outs. Seth Christiansen kept the inning alive with a hard-hit ball to second base which brought home Skorczewski, and LeMay secured the second run of the inning on a double steal in which he advanced home. The Blue and Gray narrowed the Viking edge, 9-3, midway through the frame as the Tigers tallied multiple stolen bases in the outing
Augustana, though closed out the doubleheader opener with a trio of runs in the final three innings and dialed the 11-4 victory to begin the series. Skorczewski, the talented junior infielder from Brandon, S.D., paced Dakota Wesleyan with a homerun and three runs scored.
The series finale started as a defensive affair and was deadlocked at 1-1 through four complete innings. Following a scoreless first frame, DWU struck first as LeMay crossed the plate on a wild pitch.
On the bump, meanwhile Brady Christoffels, the 6-foot, righthanded pitcher out of Washington High School in Sioux Falls, S.D., logged his first-career start for the Tigers. The Luther College transfer fanned a pair of batters through 4.2 innings of work to help keep the Tigers within striking distance.
AU blew the game-two affair wide open, however; starting in the fifth frame with a game-high five runs followed by three more in the sixth inning. Luke Ballweg, the sophomore infielder from Cross Plains, Wis., fueled the Viking production at the plate with a team-high three hits. Augustana secured the 11-1 win to notch the series sweep and collected its 10th win of the season. Kitchens and Matt Bezdicek each recorded hits in the finale while Carter Gullickson notched a base-on balls.
UP NEXT
Head coach Charlie Dubanoski and the Blue and Gray open the 2021-22 Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) docket next with a doubleheader matchup versus (RV) Concordia University set to begin at 2 p.m. on Saturday from Plum Creek Park in Seward, Neb.