Wayne, Neb. – Northern State battled in-state foe Augustana to a mid-week split on Tuesday afternoon in Wayne, Nebraska, dropping game one by a score of 13-12 and avenged the loss with a 10-7 victory in game two. The Wolves were in position to close out game one on top as they entered the final inning up by four runs, however a 5-run inning for the Vikings completed the comeback. Northern recorded their third inning of four or more runs on the day with a 4-run third inning in game two to give themselves the lead for good and secure the series split
 
THE QUICK DETAILS
Final Score Game 1: NSU 12, AU 13
Final Score Game 2: NSU 10, AU 7
Records: NSU 8-16 (3-10 NSIC), AU 22-13 (11-4 NSIC)
Attendance: 36
 
HOW IT HAPPENED – GAME 1

• After Augustana left a pair of base runners stranded in scoring position in the first inning, the Vikings gained control in the top of the second inning with four runs off two wild pitches, one throwing error and one double
• Northern State was able to get one run back in the bottom of the second as a sacrifice fly to right field by Jordan DeMarce allowed Reece Ragatz to tag up from third and score after getting hit by a pitch earlier in the inning
• The Vikings added one run in the top of the third inning as a fielding error on a double hit to right field allowed a runner to come home and make the game 5-1
• The Wolves were able to even the game at five runs apiece in the bottom of the third inning as an RBI double to left field by Jack Paulson scored Austin Portner, and a few at bats later Niko Pezonella sent a 3-run homerun to right center to score Paulson and Karson Hesser
• Augie regained the lead in the top of the fourth with a run off an RBI double to left center and a second run off a throwing error gave AU the 7-5 advantage
• After scoring four runs in the previous inning the Northern offense kept the momentum going as they tacked on six runs in the bottom of the fourth
• NSU loaded the bases with no outs to begin the bottom of the fourth inning, allowing DeMarce to score on a passed ball and Hesser hit a double through the right side to score Portner and Mateo Tahsini, giving the Wolves their first lead of the game at 8-7
• The bottom of the fourth continued for Northern State as Hesser crossed home plate on a wild pitch, Paulson scored as Ragatz reached base safely on a fielder's choice, and Ragatz scored the third run of the inning off a wild pitch or passed ball as Northern State took an 11-7 lead after four innings
• Augustana cut the lead back to three runs in the top of the fifth with a solo homerun to center field
• After a 3-up, 3-down bottom of the fifth for Northern, Mitchell Tolk sent a solo homerun of his own to left center in the sixth inning to push the lead back to four runs at 12-8 entering the final frame
• The Vikings scored two runs of a pair of RBI singles and a 3-run homerun to right field completed the comeback, giving AU a 13-12 advantage
• NSU was unable to spark a rally in the bottom of the seventh as the Vikings closer sent the Wolves down in order to end the game
• Brian Baker (1-2) recorded his fourth start of the season for Northern State, pitching 4.1 innings and throwing six strikeouts
• Christian Mundt (0-1) suffered the loss on the mound for the Wolves in his eighth relief appearance of the season
• Northern State scored their 12 runs off eight hits and committed four errors defensively

NORTHERN STATE STATISTICAL STANDOUTS – GAME 1
Karson Hesser: 2-for-4, 1 double, 2 RBI, 2 runs scored
Jack Paulson: 2-for-4, 1 double, 1 RBI, 2 runs scored
Mitchell Tolk: 1-for-3, 1 walk, 1 homerun, 1 RBI, 1 run scored
Niko Pezonella: 1-for-3, 1 walk, 1 homerun, 3 RBI, 1 run scored
 
HOW IT HAPPENED – GAME 2

• Augustana scored the first run of the game after an attempted pick-off allowed the runner stealing third to turn home and score on the error, giving the Vikings the early 1-0 lead
• A solo homerun by Karson Hesser in the bottom of the first evened the game back at one run apiece, before Augie scored a run off a fielder's choice in the top of the second and a solo homerun pushed the lead to 3-1 in favor of the Vikings after the top of the third
• Northern State took the lead for good in the bottom of the third with a pair of doubles as Reece Ragatz knocked a double through the right side to score Austin Portner; Drew Benson then cleared the bases and gave NSU a 5-3 lead with a 3-RBI double through the left side to score Andrew Wedwick, Ragatz, and Jack Paulson
• Cooper Tessendorf kept the Augustana bats at bay as he pitched back-to-back scoreless innings in the fourth and fifth innings, including throwing three strikeouts and leaving a pair of Viking base runners stranded in scoring position in the fourth
• The Wolves pushed the lead to 6-3 in the bottom of the fourth as an RBI single to left field by Paulson scored Portner, and they then extended the lead to 8-3 in the bottom of the fifth as Benson and Wedwick scored a pair of unearned runs of an Augie fielding error
• A 4-run top of the sixth for Augustana cut the Northern State lead to one, as the Vikings hit a solo homerun to lead off the inning, a single to left field scored two runs, and the fourth run of the inning scored from third base on a ground out to the shortstop
• A 2-RBI double to center field by Paulson in the bottom of the seventh pushed the lead back to three runs as Portner and Connor Knecht crossed home plate to give Northern the 10-7 advantage
• The Northern State defense left a total of four Augustana base runners stranded in the eighth and ninth inning as the Wolves closed out the win
• Tessendorf (1-1) earned his first career win on the mound back in his home state, pitching a season-high 4.0 innings with a season-best four strikeouts in the win
• Brenden Baxter earned his first career save as he closed the game with 1.1 innings pitched and a pair of strikeouts in his second appearance of the season on mound
• Northern State scored their ten runs off 11 hits and committed one error defensively

NORTHERN STATE STATISTICAL STANDOUTS – GAME 2
Jack Paulson: 3-for-5, 1 double, 3 RBI, 1 run scored
Reece Ragatz: 3-for-4, 2 doubles, 1 RBI, 1 run scored
Cooper Tessendorf: 4.0 innings pitched, 4 strikeouts, win (1-1)
Brenden Baxter: 1.1 innings pitched, 2 strikeouts, save (1)
 
UP NEXT
Northern State is scheduled to face Sioux Falls in a 3-game NSIC series this weekend, with a doubleheader on Friday and a single game on Saturday. With the colder than normal temperatures and snowy conditions this spring, fans are reminded to stay tuned to nsuwolves.com and the Wolves Athletics social media accounts for all spring schedule changes.