Augustana softball rolls Duluth, advances to NSIC title game
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AUGUSTANA) — Top-seeded Augustana turned up the firepower in the fifth inning to break the tie and take down fifth-seeded Minnesota Duluth by a score of 8-2 in the NSIC Softball Tournament semifinals on Friday afternoon at Bowden Field. The Vikings combined for nine hits in six innings of plate action, led by Lexi Lander and Sidney Smart's two hits apiece. Andrea Cain collected two RBI, one homerun, one walk with one hit by pitch while scoring two runs. Ella Cooper led with nine putouts and Norah Christiansen added in three assists. Grace Glanzer continued her dominant season with her 23rd win in the circle after five innings of work. She tallied six strikeouts alongside five fly outs and five groundouts against 18 batters faced and allowed just two hits. Lexi Lander also made an appearance, pitching two innings and downing all six batters in order. The defenses put on a strong showing through the first two innings of action, allowing just one combined runner on base after a drawn walk. The first two hits of the contest came off the Bulldog bats in the top of the third inning where Minnesota Duluth homered and doubled down the right field line to go up 2-0. But then the Augustana bats came alive. Sidney Smart doubled to right center to open up the bottom of the third inning. Andrea Cain made the most of the opportunity like she has all weekend and continued her hot streak with a two-run homerun over the left field fence to tie up the game at 2-2. After each squad was downed in three-up, three-down fashion, the Vikings again exploded in the fifth inning, circling through their entire batting order. Smart sent a single through the left side and soon advanced to second base off a sacrifice bunt from Liz Dierks. Cain joined her on base after drawing a walk to bring Desi Cuevas up to bat. Her shot up the middle scored Smart to break the tie and put herself and Cain in scoring position. A single from Lander through the right side brought in both base runners and made it a 5-3 advantage for the Vikings, forcing a pitching change from Minnesota Duluth. Back-to-back singles from Ashton Dorman and Ella Cooper loaded the bases and was followed by a single, a sacrifice fly and a fielding error to bring in three consecutive runs. The 8-3 lead for Augustana would hold through the final inning and a half of action and push the Vikings season record to 45-9 and 25-3 in NSIC play with 20 straight wins. UP NEXTAugustana has qualified for the NSIC Softball Tournament title game which is set for 12 p.m. on Saturday afternoon. Opponent is still undetermined as Winona State and Minnesota State are still set to face off in the second semifinal game yet today.
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