Augustana wins NSIC, punches ticket to NCAA Tournament
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Augustana) – Augustana softball opened up the NSIC Tournament championship game in commanding and dominating fashion while turning up the defense to claim the 12-1 victory over Winona State in five innings. The hot performance punches the Vikings' ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the 30th time in program history and secures its fifth NSIC tournament title—its third in the last four seasons. AU collected 12 runs off 10 hits in the five-inning affair, led by Desi Cuevas and Ashton Dorman's two hits apiece. Andrea Cain, Stella Harber, Liz Dierks and Dorman each collected two RBI while the team combined for five walks drawn. Grace Glanzer took the win in the circle after five innings of work. She totaled six strikeouts alongside six fly outs and three groundouts against 22 batters faced, allowing just one unearned run. Competition flamed at the start as the first three Warriors were downed in order in the top of the inning and the Vikings exploded offensively. All nine batters in Augustana's lineup saw the plate in the first inning and it all started with Cain drawing a four-pitch walk. A base hit from Cuevas and a fielder's choice loaded up the bases and was followed by back-to-back-to-back singles from Dorman, Ella Cooper and Harber. Those three base hits brought in a combined five runners for Augustana, who took a commanding 5-0 lead with no outs yet in the inning and forced a Winona State pitching change. Norah Christiansen worked a walk off a 10-pitch at-bat and Sidney Smart drew a walk of her own to load the bases once again. Dierks singled to first base to score Harber and Christiansen would come in off a fielder's choice to firmly put the Vikings ahead 7-0 at the end of the inning. The Warriors put runners on first and second following a Viking error, soon scoring one run, but the effort would end there. AU struck again in the bottom of the third inning as Cuevas doubled to left center and came back around home off a base hit from Lexi Lander. Final nails in the coffin were placed in the bottom of the fourth by another hot inning from the Vikings. Cooper drew a walk and advanced to second off a sacrifice bunt. A single down the left field line brought her home while a fielding error from WSU kept two runners on. Now ahead 9-0, a passed ball advanced those runners to second and third base, respectively. A fielder's choice scored another runner before Smart was caught stealing at home. Cain then stepped up to bat and continued her dominating weekend at the plate with a two-run homer over the left field fence. The rocket put the Vikings firmly ahead at 12-1 and the Warriors were quickly downed in the top half of the fifth inning to make it final and continue AU's postseason. After the tournament title was secured, Cain, Glanzer, Lander, Smart, Cooper and Cuevas were all honored on the 2025 NSIC All-Tournament Team. UP NEXTAugustana will await its opponent for the NCAA Tournament until the selection show takes place on Monday, May 5 at 9 a.m.
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