The University of Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagle Baseball team only mustered four hits, and the pitching struggled as the Augustana Vikings pulled away for a 21-4 victory in seven innings in the first round of the Northern Sun Conference Baseball tournament at the Birdcage in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
FIRST INNING
UMC had a great start to the game as Connor Buschbaum (Sr. Saginaw) led off with a walk. Elias Leach (Fresh. Plymouth) crushed a line drive to left field, but the ball was tracked down on the edge of the warning track for the first out of the inning. Cole Hebl (Soph. Hillsboro, ND) singled, and after an out, Aaron Wensloff (Jr. Roseau) was hit by a pitch to load the bases. The next batter struck out and the Golden Eagles came up empty-handed.
Augustana took the momentum of getting out of the jam in the top of the inning into the bottom as the first batter was hit by a pitch and Nate Soelter singled. Carter Heinsch doubled to score a run for a 1-0 lead. Reagan Pinnow followed with a two-run double for a 3-0 lead.
SECOND INNING
UMC’s Caden Kappes (Jr. Wahpeton, ND), Kyler Miller (Soph. Grand Rapids) and Thomas Schumacher (Fresh. Thompson, ND) all walked to lead off the inning. Buschbaum reached on a fielder’s choice that allowed a run to score while Augustana got an out at second base. After an out, Hebl singled to score two runs to tie the game at 3-3.
Augustana answered in the bottom of the inning with a single before a Kobe Eickmeier home run for a 5-3 lead. Weigel followed with a double, and after an out, Heinsch singled to score a run for a 6-3 lead through two innings.
THIRD INNING
UMC was retired in 1-2-3 fashion in the top of the inning.
Augustana got things going with one out with Joe Lundquist, and Foss singled. A run scored on an error, and two more runs scored on a Weigel double. After the second out of the inning, Heinsch singled in a run, and Pinnow hit a two-run home run for a 9-3 lead.
FOURTH INNING
UMC answered in the fourth inning when Miller and Schumacher walked. After a fielder’s choice, Elias Leach singled to score a run to get within a 9-4 deficit.
Augustana was retired in 1-2-3 fashion in the bottom of the inning.
FIFTH INNING
UMC was retired in 1-2-3 fashion with a groundout, a lineup and a pop out.
Augustana blew the game open in the bottom of the inning by scoring nine runs. It started with a walk, a single, and a walk to load the bases. The next batter knocked in a run with a sacrifice fly to centerfield. The next batter reached on an error and another run scored. After the second out of the inning, a run scored on a double before a walk to Joshua Koskie (former Minnesota Twin Corey Koskie’s son) to reload the bases. The next two batters walked to score a pair of runs. The next batter was hit by a pitch to score a run, and another walk scored a run. Reagan Pinnow doubled to knock in his sixth and seventh rbi of the game, and the Vikings led 21-4.
SIXTH INNING
UMC was retired in 1-2-3 fashion with two groundouts and a pop fly.
Augustana had a one-out single, but the next two batters were retired, and the Vikings took a 21-4 lead into the seventh inning.
SEVENTH INNING
UMC needed to score eight runs to keep the game going, but they were retired in 1-2-3 fashion and the game was over with Augustana winning 21-4.
UMC drops to 26-24 on the year and will take on Wayne State in a loser-out game on Thursday at Noon. You can hear the game on KROX Radio at Noon. UMC is now 0-4 all-time against the Vikings in the NSIC Baseball tournament. Augustana improves to 31-7 on the year and will take on Sioux Falls in the semi-finals at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
| UMC | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 1 |
| Augie | 3 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 9 | 0 | – | 21 | 18 | 0 |
For UMC-
Cole Hebl – 3 for 4, 2 rbi
Elias Leach – 1 for 4, rbi
For Augustana-
Carter Heinsch – 3 for 3, 4 rbi, 3 runs, 2 walks, double
Ragan Pinnow – 3 for 4, 7 rbi, run
Brandon Weigel – 2 for 2, 5 runs, 3 rbi, 2 walk
Maddox Foss – 2 for 2, 2 runs
Nate Soelter – 2 for 4, 3 runs, rbi
Jake Lundquist – 2 for 4, 2 runs, rbi
Troy Berg – 2 for 5, rbi, run
| Pitching | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K |
| Isaac Wensloff-UMC | 2.1 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 2 |
| Kaylor Chamberlain-UMC | 0.2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Aaron Bennett-UMC | 1.1 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| Ashton Detloff-UMC | 0.1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Braden Nelson-UMC | 0.0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Jaxson Bennett-UMC | 1.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mariano Gomez-Aug | 3.0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 5 |
| Jack Sutton-Aug | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Cal Schmelzle-Aug | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
