Rock Island, IL – The Prairie Fire struggled to generate offense against the stingy pitching of Augustana College at Carver Field on Sunday.

The Vikings held Knox to three baserunners – one hit and a pair of walks – in a 4-0 win in the first game of a doubleheader.  Augie gave up just two hits in an 8-0 victory in the finale to complete the sweep.

Augustana (26-12) entered the twinbill with four wins in the last five games.  The latest victory was 5-1 at #25 ranked North Central College (31-5) on Saturday to salvage a split against the Cardinals.

Vikings’ pitcher Sarah Hintz (11-6) struck out eight and walked two to earn the victory.  She gave up just one hit, a third inning single to sophomore Rhiannon Neuville (Eugene, OR, South Eugene).  Senior Jill Krippel (Plainfield, IL, Plainfield Central) and first-year Annie Ford (Oak Park, IL, Oak Park-River Forest) drew the walks against Hintz.

Augustana scored two unearned runs with two outs in the bottom of the first inning for a 2-0 lead. 

First-year Knox pitcher Karli Shields (Naperville, IL, Neuqua Valley) got the first batter she faced to line out to shortstop.  The next hitter advanced to second base after reaching on an error in the outfield.  Shields recorded the second out of the inning with a strikeout before allowing a single that gave the Vikings a 1-0 lead.  Augie added the second run following two wild pitches and another error before getting a fly out for the third out.

The Prairie Fire (6-25) went down in order in the top of the second inning.  Augustana extended the lead to 3-0 on an RBI double with two outs in the bottom of the second.

The Vikings scored their last run of the game in the bottom of the fourth inning. 

Shields (2-9) pitched her fourth complete game for Knox.  She allowed 10 hits, walked nobody, and struck out four.

The Prairie Fire committed four errors and Shields uncorked three wild pitches.

Augustana got its offense rolling early in the second game with five runs in the first inning off junior Amber Eisha (South Wilmington, IL, Gardner-South Wilmington). 

Eisha retired the first batter she faced before the Vikings strung together four straight hits that brought in three runs.  A fielder’s choice resulted in the second out.  The last two runs of the inning scored on an infield error with runners on second and third for a 5-0 lead.  A pop-up to shortstop ended the inning.

The first of three Knox baserunners in the second game, junior Anna Lemen (Cincinnati, OH, Cincinnati Country Day), reached on a two-out walk in the top of the second inning.  Augie starting pitcher Ashley Anderson retired sophomore Britt Price (Wyoming, IL, Stark County) on pop out to the shortstop for the third out of the inning.

The Vikings went back to work on offense in the third inning, leading off with a triple against Eisha.  Lemen relieved Eisha in the circle following the hit.  Augustana increased the lead to 6-0 on a sacrifice fly that scored the lead-off batter, a run that was charged to Eisha.  Lemen pitched around a pair of two-out singles without any further damage.

Krippel singled in the third inning for the first Prairie Fire hit of the game.  Anderson retired the next three hitters.

Knox had a promising start to the fourth frame when Eisha led off with a double.  She was stranded at third base after a pop-out to the pitcher, a ground out to the pitcher, and a strikeout.

Anderson (9-4) did not allow another baserunner the rest of the game.

Lemen held Augustana scoreless until the bottom of the sixth, when the Vikings put two runs on the board to end the game.

Eisha (3-12) took the loss after pitching one inning and surrendering six runs, four of them earned, and seven hits.  Lemen tossed 4 1/3 innings, permitting two runs (one earned) and six hits with one strikeout.

Anderson struck out seven and walked one in the victory.

Knox finished in fifth place in the Midwest Conference South Division with a 5-10 record.  The five wins are the most since the 2004 and 2005 teams also won five games in league play.

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