SIOUX FALLS, S.D. –
Zach Steckler threw his second career complete game and
Tom Imholte and
Jason Shaul both recorded three hits but the University of Mary, forced to battle from behind all day, couldn't catch up to fast-starting Augustana University. The home-standing Vikings picked up a 4-2 win over the Marauders in the opener and closed out the day with a 13-3 victory.
Among NCAA Division II's top ten in both hitting and on base percentage, Imholte and Shaul did nothing to damage their national standing. Both finished the day 3-for-6 with a walk. Imholte scored three times and had a stolen base. Shaul hit a home run, scored once and drove in two runs.
For the year, Imholte is now hitting .458 with a .534 on base percentage. Shaul owns a .453 batting average and a .588 on base percentage.
Despite strong performances from Imholte and Shaul, the Marauders (4-17 overall, 2-7 Northern Sun) were forced to chase the Vikings all day. Augie (15-7, 6-0) scored the first four runs in game one and eight straight in the second.
Forced to pitch around three Marauders errors in the first two innings of game one, Steckler managed to keep U-Mary within striking distance.
The Vikings would score in three straight innings, each time with two outs. Augie scored an unearned run with two outs in the second inning before doubling its lead to 2-0 in the third on a two-out, run-scoring double by Alex Fink. A two-out two-run home run by Kris Ashland in the fourth again doubled the Vikings lead, this time to 4-0.
The Marauders broke through in the sixth. Back to back two-out singles by Imholte and Shaul resulted in Imholte scoring on a throwing error by Vikings shortstop Justin Warne.
Down 4-1 in the seventh,
Clay Bassingthwaite led off the inning with an infield single and
Will Pettener followed with a one-out single to advance pinch runner
Ethan Meide to third base. Pinch hitter
Travis Stevens hit a sacrifice fly to the left fielder to score Meide but a ground out ended the rally and the game for the Marauders.
Steckler struck out a career-high eight batters in a six-inning complete game. He walked just two and allowed seven hits and three earned runs.
Shaul was 2-for-3 in the game, the only U-Mary player with multiple hits.
Lincoln Voss earned the win in the opener for Augie, allowing one earned run on five hits and no walks in seven innings. Voss also struck out eight.
In game two, the Vikings jumped out to an 8-0 lead after four innings. Augie scored four times in the first, tacked on three more in the third on a 3-run Alex Beals home run, and posted a single run in the fourth.
U-Mary broke onto the scoreboard in the sixth. After Imholte singled to left, Shaul homered to center field, his team-leading fourth round-tripper of the season. Augie retaliated with three runs in the bottom of the sixth to build an 11-2 lead.
The Marauders tacked on one more in the eighth inning.
Trenten Hove singled up the middle and Imholte followed with a walk. Though Shaul then lined into a double play, a
Lane Huck pinch single through the left side scored Hove with the final U-Mary run of the game. Augie ended the game early when Lucas Berry hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth to close out a 13-3 Vikings win.
Shaul finished 1-for-3 with a home run, two RBIs and a run scored. Imholte was 2-for-3 with two runs scored.
Brad Meyer was 2-for-4.
Fink finished 3-for-3 with two runs scored and four RBIs for Augie. Beals went 2-for-4 with three runs and five RBIs.
The Marauders now begin a 14-game Northern Sun home stand against Minnesota State University. The Marauders and the Mavericks will plav a four game set on Saturday and Sunday, April 9-10.
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