Box Score

Moline, Ill. –Augustana College used a three-run second inning to pull away from the Prairie Fire in a 9-2 victory on Tuesday night.

Knox (11-12) took the early lead with two runs in the top of the first inning on a pair of hits and two errors by the Vikings.

Senior Phil Tallman (Park Ridge, IL, Maine South) opened off the game with a single and moved into scoring position on an error.  First-year Paul Sanders (Rock Island, IL, Rock Island) followed with a hit, and Tallman came around to score on a sacrifice fly by senior Erik Smoy (Hoffman Estates, IL, Hoffman Estates).  The Prairie Fire added another run when sophomore Drew Osborn (Moline, IL, Moline) reached base on an error that brought in Sanders.

Augustana (17-8) answered with two runs on three hits off senior Peter Marquardt (Clarendon Hills, lL, Hinsdale Central) in the bottom of the first to draw even with Knox, 2-2.

Augie starting pitcher Jamie Rammel (1-0) held the Prairie Fire to three hits the rest of the way as he earned the complete game victory, striking out four with no walks.

The Vikings plated three runs on four hits in the bottom of second to take the lead for good at 5-2.  Augustana tacked on a run in the seventh and three more in the eighth, and finished with 16 hits.

The victory by Augie is the second this season against the Prairie Fire.  The Vikings won 13-0 in the first meeting between the teams on March 23 in Fort Myers, Florida.   They'll play one more time on April 23 at Blodgett Field at 3:00 p.m.

Marquardt (2-3) was charged with the loss giving up five runs and eight hits with one walk and one strikeout in three innings on the mound.

Sanders had three hits and scored a run to lead the Prairie Fire.

Knox returns home to play Lawrence University in a doubleheader on Saturday.  The first game starts at 11:00 a.m.