Game One
Game Two
Augustana College used two big innings in the first game then plated runs in five different innings in the second game to sweep a doubleheader against the Prairie Fire Tuesday night in Moline.
Jackson White '14
The cold evening didn't slow down the Viking offense. Augustana won the opener 12-5 and followed with an 8-1 victory in the nightcap at Swanson/Brunner Field. The Prairie Fire had 14 hits in the two games but left 18 runners on base.
Knox scored a run in the first inning for a quick 1-0 lead on a pair of hits off Augie starter Ben Heaton.
First-year outfielder Erik Smoy (Hoffman Estates, Illinois) walked and advanced to third when fellow first-year teammate Jackson White (Grayslake, Illinois) singled. Sophomore Kyle Walenga (San Francisco, California) made it three straight hitters to reach base when he drove home Smoy with a single of his own.
Augustana tied the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the second inning. Prairie Fire starter, sophomore Ryan Stoens (Bartonville, Illinois), gave up a lead-off single to Pat Wilson before striking out the next hitter. A wild pitch sent Wilson to second base followed by an Anthony Concialdi single that moved him to third. Wilson scored the tying run on a fielder's choice.
The Vikings had their first of two big innings with five runs in the third to take a 6-1 lead.
Concialdi started things off with a double and scored the tiebreaking run on a single by Mike Lamb. Augie followed with four more runs on three hits while the Prairie Fire committed two errors in the inning.
Stoens (0-4) departed after 2 1/3 innings for first-year hurler Bryan Leslie (Richmond, Illinois) after surrendering six runs (four earned) on seven hits and striking out two.
Knox battled back with a three-run fourth inning to cut the deficit to 6-4.
Sophomore Michael Schroeder (Glenview, Illinois) led off with a single and advanced to second when sophomore infielder Doug Lillibridge (Byron, Illinois) was hit by a pitch. An infield single by first-year player Phil Tallman (Park Ridge, Illinois) loaded the bases for senior Carl Hammer (Cambridge, Illinois). Heaton walked Hammer to force in the first run of the inning.
Lillibridge scored the second run on a wild pitch by Heaton, who served up an RBI single to White before getting out of the inning when Walenga hit into a fielder's choice.
Augustana exploded for five more runs in the fifth to take an 11-4 lead. The Vikings had four hits in the inning but also took advantage of two more Knox errors that played a role in two of the runs. Leslie's night ended after 2 2/3 innings on the bump. He allowed five runs, three of them earned, and four hits.
The Vikings added a run in the sixth inning off senior Logan Willits (Aledo, Illinois) when Wilson singled home Zac Chuvala, who led off the inning with a double.
Knox plated its final tally of the game in the top of the seventh. Smoy led off with a walk, White singled him to second and both moved up a base on a passed ball. A sacrifice fly by Walenga scored Smoy for the Fire's fifth run.
Augustana outhit the Fire 13-8. Knox left nine men on base in the game.
Heaton (4-2) gave up five runs, walked five and struck out four to earn the win.
The Vikings scored a run in the first inning of the nightcap against Prairie Fire first-year pitcher Peter Marquardt (Clarendon Hills, Illinois). Marquardt walked lead-off hitter Jeremy Juhl, who stole second when Chuvala struck out. Juhl advanced to third on a single by Dave Hoffman and scored on an error by first-year outfielder Dustin Armstrong (Worthington, Ohio).
The Fire tied the game at 1-1 in the third inning when the lead-off man, Schroeder, walked. A wild pitch by Augie starter Joe Cecci moved Schroeder to second base. He scored the tying run when Hammer singled with two outs.
Augustana, which had its only scoreless inning of the contest in the second frame, came back with a three-run third inning to take a 4-1 lead.
Lamb led off with a single, stole second and advanced to third on a SAC fly by Juhl. Lamb scored the second run of the game for the hosts on an infield error by Lillibridge. Hoffman followed with an RBI single and scored on a single by DH Jared McIntosh.
The Prairie Fire managed just four hits the rest of the way against Cecci (1-0) and a pair of relievers -- Rick Erickson and Josiah Martin. Erickson allowed one hit in the sixth, struck out two and walked two. Knox greeted Martin with two hits in the seventh inning but couldn't score.
Cecci surrendered one run on three hits with five strikeouts and three walks to pick up his first win of the season.
The Vikings scored a run in the fourth for a 5-1 lead. Marquardt (2-3) departed after tossing four innings and allowing five runs, three of them earned, and seven hits while striking out four and issuing three walks.
Senior Zach Ricketts (Galesburg, Illinois) came on to pitch the fifth and sixth innings. He gave up three runs (one earned) on three hits and walked one.
Augustana outhit the Prairie Fire 10-6. Knox left nine men on base, seven combined in the fourth through sixth innings.
The Vikings improved to 23-11 overall with the wins. The Prairie Fire dropped to 7-21 going into Wednesday night's doubleheader at Millikin University (5-28).
