The University of Minnesota Crookston (UMC) Golden Eagles Baseball team’s Jake Hjelle (Sr. East Grand Forks) hit a three-run walk-off home run to beat the #14 ranked Augustana Vikings 9-8 in the first game and 9-5 in game two of a Northern Sun Conference double-header played in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
GAME ONE
Augustana’s first batter struck out, and the next batter singled before the next two batters were retired. UMC had a great start to the game offensively. The first batter struck out before Jake Dykhoff (Soph. Wadena) walked, Caden Headlee (Jr. Fargo, ND) singled, and Jake Hjelle (Sr. East Grand Forks) singled to score a run. Teddy Giefer (Sr. Courtland) grounded out to first and scored another run for a 2-0 lead after the first inning.
Augustana answered in the top of the second inning. The first two Vikings batters were retired, but that was followed by a solo home run, a double, and a single to tie the game at 2-2. UMC had a batter hit by a pitch, but the rest of the batters were retired.
Augustana batters were retired in 1-2-3 fashion in the top of the third inning. In the bottom of the inning, Dykhoff led off with a walk but was out at second base on a fielder’s choice. Hjelle singled, and Giefer followed with a single to score a run for a 3-2 lead.
UMC pitching ran into control problems in the fourth inning as the first two Augustana batters walked. The next batter laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance the runners to second and third base. The next two batters doubled and singled to score two runs for a 4-3 lead. UMC was retired in 1-2-3 fashion in the bottom of the inning and trailed 4-3.
Augustana started the fifth inning with a walk, but the next three batters were retired. UMC tied the game up at 4-4 after a Dykhoff home run to lead off the inning. The next three batters were retired, and the game was tied 4-4.
Augustana broke the game open with a big four-run sixth inning. The leadoff batter walked, the next batter was hit by a pitch, the next batter struck out and UMC made a pitching change. Max Weber (Jr. St. Paul) came in to relieve Jake Osowski (Sr. East Grand Forks). The next batter was hit by a pitch to load the bases before a passed ball allowed a run to score. After a UMC balk, another run scored for a 6-4 lead. After a walk, the next batter flew out to center field, and two runs scored for an 8-4 lead. UMC responded at the bottom of the sixth inning with a two-out rally. Mitch Goodwin (Sr. Prior Lake) started the rally with a walk, and Cole Hebl (Fresh. Hillsboro, ND) pinch-hit and blasted a shot over the right field fence for a two-run home run to get within an 8-6 deficit.
Augustana stranded three base runners in the top of the seventh inning after a single, and two walks, but the final out grounded out to the shortstop. UMC needed two runs to force extra innings and three runs to win the game, and Dykhoff started the inning with a walk. Headlee singled to right field, and Hjelle followed with a two-strike home run over the left-center field fence for a 9-8 walk-off victory.
CLICK HERE for the Box Score
| Box Score | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
| Augustana | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 7 | 0 |
| UMC | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 8 | 0 |
For UMC-
Jake Hjelle – 3-4, 4 rbi, run
Caden Headlee – 2-4, 3 runs
Josh Dykhoff – 1-1, 3 walks, 2 runs, rbi
Cole He’ll – 1-1, 2 rbi, run
| Pitching | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K |
| Jake Osowski- UMC Max Webster- UMC |
5.2 0.0 |
5 0 |
5 2 |
5 1 |
3 1 |
8 0 |
| Isaac Wensloff – UMC Isaac Roers – UMC (WP 2-2) |
1.0 0.2 |
0 0 |
0 0 |
0 0 |
2 1 |
0 0 |
| Caleb Saari – Augustana | 5.2 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 8 |
| Will Henry – Augustana Adam Diedrich – Augustana |
0.1 0.0 |
1 2 |
1 3 |
1 3 |
0 1 |
1 0 |
GAME TWO –
The first inning saw each team get a hit, but that was all as the pitchers came out firing strikes, and it was a scoreless first inning.
In the second inning, Augustana’s first two batters were retired before a walk and a ground out. In the bottom of the inning, UMC was retired in 1-2-3 fashion and the game was still scoreless.
In the third inning, Augustana had three singles to load the bases with nobody out. The next batter walked to score a run for a 1-0 lead. The next Viking batter reached on a fielder’s choice to score a run for a 2-0 lead. UMC was retired in 1-2-3 fashion in the bottom of the inning and Augustana had a 2-0 lead.
In the fourth inning, Augusta lined out and struck out twice and was retired in 1-2-3 fashion. UMC blew the game open in the bottom of the inning a a huge seven run inning. Dykhoff led off with a walk, and after a ground out, Hjelle doubled to score a run. Giefer doubled to score another run. A. Pacyga was hit by a pitch before the next UMC batter struck out. After an Augustana pitching change, Goodwin walked, and Kobe Senn (Soph. Fargo, ND) singled to score two runs for a 4-2 lead. Sawyer Satrom (Soph. Portland, ND) singled to right field to score a run, and Dykoff batted again and singled to score a run for a 6-2 lead. Headlee singled to score the seventh run of the inning, and UMC took a 7-2 lead.
In the fifth inning, Augustana had a two-out single before the next batter struck out, and the Vikings were retired. UMC had a threat in the bottom of the inning when Giefer was hit by a pitch. After an out, Danny Wensloff (Sr. Roseau) singled, but they weren’t able to plate a run, and the Golden Eagles took a 7-2 lead into the sixth inning.
In the sixth inning, Augustana led off with a solo home run to get within a 7-3 deficit. The next three batters were retired. In the bottom of the inning, Dykhoff singled with one out. After a groundout for the second out of the inning, Hjelle doubled to score a run, and Giefer reached on an error to score another run for a 9-3 lead after six innings.
In the top of the seventh inning, Augustana had a one-out hit before the next two batters were retired. UMC was retired in 1-2-3 fashion in the bottom of the inning and still held a 9-3 lead.
In the eighth inning, Augustana led off with a single which forced UMC into a pitching change. The next two batters grounded out and flew out. The next batter singled to score a run to get within a 9-4 deficit. UMC was retired in 1-2-3 fashion and took a 9-4 lead into the ninth inning.
In the ninth inning, UMC brought in Nate Grafsgaard (Sr. Devils Lake, ND) to close the door. The first two Augustana batters doubled and singled, and that was followed by a walk to load the bases. The next Augustana batter struck out for the first out of the inning. The next Viking batter flew out to right field to score a run to get within a 9-5 deficit. The next batter struck out, and UMC picked up a huge conference sweep as they beat Augustana 9-5.
UMC improves to 14-10 on the year and 8-6 in the NSIC and will travel to Winona State to play four games next weekend. Augustana drops to 17-6 overall and 10-4 in the NSIC.
CLICK HERE for the box score
| Game 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Augustana | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 11 | 2 |
| UMC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 10 | 0 |
For UMC-
Josh Dykhoff – 3-4, 2 runs, rbi, walk
Jake Hjelle – 2-4, 2 rbi, 2 runs
| Pitching | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K |
| Josh Dykhoff – UMC Brody Sorenson – UMC |
3.0 4.0 |
4 4 |
2 2 |
2 2 |
2 0 |
1 4 |
| Noah Benning – UMC N. Graafsgaard – UMC |
1.0 1.0 |
1 2 |
0 1 |
0 1 |
0 1 |
0 2 |
| A. Michael – Augustana E. Cole – Augustana |
3.2 0.0 |
3 4 |
4 3 |
4 2 |
1 1 |
7 0 |
| M. Gomez – Augustana | 4.1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
