Augustana plated four runs in the 10th inning to win a see-saw battle 12-10 over Northwest Missouri State in the NCAA Central Region opening round.
The Bearcats (36-17) answered a couple early runs from the Vikings with a pair in the first thanks to a two-out double from John Connors. They tacked on three more in the second after RBIs from Chester Brooks, Jeremiah Cabuyaban and Wilmer Jimenez.
Augie sophomore Kobe Eikmeier knotted the game with a three-run home run in the third.
Northwest starting pitcher Ben Haug locked in from that point. The senior from Marshall, MO retired the next 13 batters in a row through the seventh. During the stretch, the Bearcats pushed in front. Cabuyaban walked with the bases loaded to bring one across in the bottom of the third, and Parker Griffith singled home another in the fourth to open a 7-5 advantage.
The Vikings were able to break through against Haug in the eighth putting up one on a run-scoring ground out, then loading the bases with two down. Brock Stegall relieved Haug, and Augie's Jake Lundquist hit a two-RBI double to take its first lead since the first inning.
With two out in the bottom of the eighth, Wilmer Jimenez hustled down the line on a ground out to short and reached on an error. Jordi Ventura scored from second on the play knotting the game up 8-8.
It stayed that way until the top of the 10th inning.
Lundquist brought in two on a one-out double. Two batters later Brandon Weigel drove in two more, staking Augustana to a four-run advantage.
Northwest pushed back in the bottom half with their backs against the wall. Jimenez hit a two-out, two run home run to cut the deficit in half. The blast was his eighth of the season.
Sam Wornson, pinch-hitting for Connors, followed with a single to bring the tying run to the plate in Michael Good. Good flew out to center field ending the threat and the ball game.
Northwest has a quick turnaround with an elimination game coming on Friday at 3pm against Arkansas Tech. The Wonder Boys dropped their opening round contest to host Pittsburg State 22-3.
Today's game broadcast will begin at 2:40pm on stream two at KXCV.org and on the Bearcat Public Media app under the Northwest tab.
