17-05-2025
Viking Softball rallies to force game three, falls short of Super Regional title
EDMOND, Okla. (Augustana) – Facing a win-or-go-home situation, Augustana softball found power late to claim game two of the NCAA Super Regional and force the 'if necessary' game before falling to the top seed in the central region, Central Oklahoma, on Friday afternoon. The Vikings conclude their season as the No. 6 team in the nation with a dominant 50-11 record after cruising through both the NSIC Tournament and the NCAA Central Region 2 Tournament and at one point holding a 24-game win streak. It is the 14th time in program history that a Viking softball team has eclipsed the 50-win mark. Friday also marked the final games in the careers of Liz Dierks, Grace Glanzer, Hailey Houston and Lexi Lander. SUPER REGIONAL GAME TWO: No. 3 Seed Augustana 5, No. 1 Seed Central Oklahoma 1Much like yesterday's face-off, the Bronchos again scored early but the Vikings responded dominantly to secure the 5-1 win to force a winner-take-all game in the Central Super Regional. A single, a groundout and a walk put runners and first and second base for UCO, who soon scored off a single on the ensuing at-bat to open up scoring and take the 1-0 lead. The Viking offense struggled to get hot, but pitching from Glanzer helped push the strong defensive showing and keep the Bronchos from advancing any further than first base. After downing UCO in order in the top of the fifth inning, AU stepped up to bat and quickly was facing two outs. Ashton Dorman broke the stalemate with a single to left field and was followed by a single from Ella Cooper to put two on base. The two-out rally continued in powerful fashion as Stella Harber ripped a three-run homer over the center field fence on the first pitch of her at-bat to score Augustana's first runs of the Super Regional and take the 3-1 lead. The Bronchos again fell 1-2-3 in the sixth—including two more strikeouts for Glanzer—and brought in a new pitcher before Sidney Smart's trip to the plate. A single, a bunt and a throwing error loaded the bases for the Vikings before a double play took the runner at second. But that brought in Lander, who cleared the bases with her double down the left field to score two more and put the Vikings firmly ahead 5-1 heading into the final inning. All it took was another three-up, three-down showing from the dominant Viking defense to secure the win and force another contest for the Central Super Region title. Eight Vikings combined for 11 hits, led by Harber's 3-for-3 performance at the plate. She led with three RBI as Lander added in two more alongside the lone double of the day and Dorman drew the only walk for AU. Glanzer grabbed the win in the circle to improve to 27-7 this season, allowing just one run in her seven innings of work. She tallied eight strikeouts with eight fly outs and five groundouts against 28 batters faced. SUPER REGIONAL GAME THREE: No. 1 Seed Central Oklahoma 5, No. 3 Seed Augustana 1UCO struck first and continued to push with a strong fourth inning despite Augustana's best efforts to divert the rally as the Vikings eventually fell 5-1 in the final winner-take-all game of the regional. Lander got the start in the circle and quickly downed the first three batters on the day to kick off game three. The Bronchos also left three on base in the top of the second inning as the Vikings tallied the first hit of the game in the bottom half of that inning. But the Bronchos soon gained traction. Central Oklahoma scored one in the third after a double, groundout and a fielder's choice as lengthy series of challenges and reviews erased a possible Augustana run. Then in the fourth, a base hit and a sacrifice bunt put a UCO runner on second base before another single, fielder's choice and a triple to the right center wall cleared the bases for three more runs. Augustana would go on to fall in order in the next two innings before the Bronchos added in another run in the top of the sixth. Cain drew a walk in the top half of the inning and advanced to second off a groundout before eventually scoring off a single from Dorman. Yet the seventh inning saw both squads downed 1-2-3 to end in a 5-1 loss for AU. Cain, Desi Cuevas, Dorman, Harber and Norah Christiansen combined for the five AU hits on the day as Dorman logged one RBI. Cain knocked the lone double in the game as she and Cuevas each tallied a walk. Lander took the loss in the circle to move to 20-4 overall this season. She allowed two runs in three innings of work while tallying two strikeouts. Glanzer also made an appearance in four innings pitched with three runs and two strikeouts.
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