Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

In its first weekend of conference action, the Northern State baseball team earned a day one split with Augustana Friday down in Sioux Falls. The Wolves dropped game one of the doubleheader 8-6 to the Vikings and won the second 4-3.

NSU now stands at 7-5 overall and 1-1 in the NSIC this year. The Vikings are 9-7 and 1-1 in league play on the season. The win in game two for Northern breaks a 26-game winning streak for Augustana in the series. NSU's last win before Friday came back in 2005.

John Eckstein picked up the win for the Wolves in game two. Eckstein pitched 8.1 innings and allowed three runs while striking-out two Vikings to improve his record to 2-0 on the year. Andrew Crisman came on in relief of Eckstein and was huge in picking up his second save of the year. Crisman faced just one batter in Augie's Jack Goihl, but induced him into a 6-4-3 double play that preserved the win for Northern.

Trevor Sporrer got the Wolves on the board first in the second contest as he drove in Matt Stubbs in the second inning. Augustana tied things up with a run of its own in the bottom of the third to tie it at 1-1. NSU then got a big three-run fourth inning to break the game open. Robert Fahlin and Buddy Traxler each recorded an RBI in the inning while Traxler scored on a wild pitch to plate Northern's third run of the inning.

The Vikings cut into NSU's lead in the eighth by plating a pair of runs and trimming the score to 4-3. Augie filled the bases in the ninth and looked like they may spoil the split before Crisman came in to deliver the save.

In game one, NSU also got on the board first as a Clayton Nutting solo home run got the day started right for the Wolves. Augustana then took control by scoring two runs in both the first and third innings to take a 4-1 lead.

Northern would not go away however as it scored four runs in the top of the fourth and took a one run lead. Sporrer and Alex Cornwell each delivered two RBI doubles in the inning. Sporrer drove-in Riley Shintaffer and Robbie Rocamora while Cornwell scored Sporrer and Derek Tymesen. The Wolves scored all four runs with two outs in the inning.

After Augustana responded with a four-run inning of its own, the Wolves could only score one in the seventh inning as the comeback in the conference opener fell short. Cody Vandever got the start in game one for the Wolves. Vandever pitched five innings and allowed eight runs, dropping his record to 1-2 on the year. Dillon Lee pitched one inning of scoreless relief for NSU.

Sporrer collected three RBI in the split while Cornwell and Fahlin had a pair of RBI's each on the day. Clayton and Stubbs both went 3-of-8 to lead the Wolves on the day. Rocamora, Shintaffer and Sporrer each had multi-hit days for the Wolves.

Northern finishes its four-game series with Augustana Sunday in another doubleheader in Sioux Falls. Game one starts at noon from Karras Park.