Lopers Head to Hays on Saturday
Kearney, Neb. – Sophomore Hailey Houston threw a complete game one-hitter and senior catcher Gracey Brink scored with two outs in the bottom of the seventh to help lead Augustana to a double header sweep of Nebraska-Kearney, 7-0 and 2-1, Tuesday afternoon in Council Bluffs, Ia. These games weren't on either the Lopers (12-16) or Vikings (13-8) original schedules but added over the weekend to help make-up for the canceled Missouri Western Invite. Augie, coming off a 50-10 season, has won five in a row and improves to 6-3 vs. the MIAA this spring. In game one, Houston fanned seven and worked around four walks a single from sophomore Sydney Thomason (Ripon, Calif.) to improve to 6-2. She managed 59 strikes over 101 pitches. At the plate, the Vikings took control with a five-run second that featured a two-out, infield bloop single. That opened the floodgates as two doubles, two walks and a single followed. Senior first baseman Delaney Young (2 for 4, three RBI's) and leadoff hitter Andrea Cain (2 for 4, one run & two RBI's) caused the most damage. For UNK, Colorado redshirt junior Stacy Bott allowed two earned over 5.1 innings of relief work. The nightcap was a pitcher's duel between California freshman Faith Gaynor (5-7) and junior Lexi Lander (5-4). Gaynor allowed only one earned run on six hits in 6.2 innings. She also fanned two in throwing an even 100 pitches. On the flip side, Lander needed just 82 pitches to get through seven full innings and fanned seven Lopers. Brink smacked a two-out double to right center in the bottom of the seventh in 1-1 ball game. Senior third baseman Abby Lien then sent a pool cue shot near the first base line that went into foul territory, allowing Brink to score. Augie took the lead thanks to a triple, walk and double in the third with the Lopers getting an RBI single to right from Elkhorn sophomore Jaycee Schutte in the fourth. The teams combined to strand 12 with Cain (2 for 4, one) pacing the Augie offense. The Lopers saw Lincoln junior right fielder Patia Wolfe go 2 for3 from the eight-hole with Kearney super senior third baseman Avery Wood 1 for 1 with a run, sac bunt and steal from the two-hole. UNK's Wednesday double header at Upper Iowa has been called off due to frosty field conditions. The Lopers are thus off until an MIAA double header Saturday at Fort Hays State.
Comments