SMSU softball swept by Augie

Thanks to its late-inning production, No. 23-ranked Augustana pulled off a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference sweep over Southwest Minnesota State in softball action Wednesday in Sioux Falls, S.D. The Vikings got the sweep with a 3-2 eight-inning win in Game 1 and a 5-3 victory in Game 2.

Tied at 2 in the bottom of the eighth, the Vikings' Therese McMahon belted a walk-off home run to clinch the win. McMahon finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored for Augustana (5-1 NSIC, 25-4 overall).

Ashley Gigax led the way for the Mustangs with three of the team's six hits.

Trailing 2-0, Kris Penick got on base for SMSU on a beanball, and following a single by Gigax, scored on an Augie error. The Mustangs tied the game in the fourth when Kasey Eichten got a two-out single, eventually coming home on a single by Penick. .

Rachel Hoeppner picked up the loss in the circle for the Mustangs, allowing three runs on eight hits with one strikeout.

In Game 2, the Vikings got a solid outing on the rubber by Janelle Trautmann, who threw five shutout innings on the way to the victory.

Penick had a pair of hits for the Mustangs in the loss, and Christine Borowiak hit a two-run homer in the top of the seventh. Penick got a single to put the game-tying run at the plate. But following a groundout, Penick got thrown out at home on a single by Krista Steen to end the game in Augustana's favor.

Now 3-3 in the NSIC and 12-10 overall, the Mustangs host their first home series on Saturday, taking on Minnesota-Crookston. SMSU stays at home Sunday to face Minnesota State-Moorhead. Both doubleheaders will start at 1 p.m. at Mustang Field.