Game 1 - Wayne State 5 Augustana 3

Game 2 - Augustana 5 Wayne State 4

           The Wayne State College baseball team nearly completed a four-game sweep of 24^th-ranked Augustana College Saturday at the Pete Chapman Baseball Complex in Wayne on Senior Day as the Wildcats captured the opener 5-3 before falling late in the second game 5-4.  The Wildcats won three of four games over the weekend against the Vikings and are now 23-18 overall and 16-11 in league play while Augustana is 33-14 and 23-8 in the NSIC.
            In the opener, junior third baseman Michael Herman doubled twice while Aaron Krier added two hits as the Wildcats registered a 5-3 win over the Vikings.
            The 'Cats built a 3-0 lead early as WSC scored one in the second and two more in the third.  In the second, Jake Perez singled and scored on an Alex Kreft single up the middle.  The third inning saw WSC score when Krier walked and scored on a fielder's choice by CJ Nolen with Nolen crossing the plate on a Herman two-bagger down the left field line.
            Augustana pulled within 3-2 on a pair of runs in the fourth, but WSC went up 4-2 in the bottom of the fourth when Mike Servais reached on an error and came home on a Krier single to center field. 
            The Vikings scored in the top of the fifth to trim the WSC lead to 4-3, but the 'Cats got the run back in the bottom of the inning when Curtis Bussard doubled down the right field line and scored on a Herman double to left making the score 5-3.
            Starter Dylan McGill and three Wildcat relievers limited Augustana to three runs on seven hits in the contest.  McGill notched the win with four innings of work, striking out five and allowing two runs on six hits.  Chad Kim, Ryan Zweck and Bussard each worked one inning of relief with Bussard registering a perfect seventh inning to pick up his sixth save of the season.
            The second game saw the Vikings avoid the four-game sweep by taking advantage of five Wildcat errors in a 5-4 win over Wayne State.
            WSC scored single runs in the first and second innings for an early 2-0 lead as Bussard and Servais blasted solo homers to left center field respectively for the Wildcats.
            Augustana plated three runs in the third for a 3-2 lead, but WSC answered with single runs in the fourth and fifth innings to regain the lead at 4-3.  In the fourth, Servais tripled and scored on a Kevin Andersen sacrifice fly to tie the score at 3-3 then Jake Perez blasted a home run over the left field wall in the fifth to give the 'Cats a 4-3 lead.
            The Vikings took the lead in the eighth on two runs with just one hit and a Wildcat throwing error that allowed both runs to score for a 5-4 Augustana lead.
            WSC was able to put two runners on with no outs in the bottom of the ninth inning and had the tying run at third base but could not score as the Vikings held on for the 5-4 win.
            The Wildcats had 11 hits in the game compared to seven for Augustana.  Mike Servais was 3 for 4 with a double, triple and home run along with two runs scored.  Bussard ended 3 for 5 with a homer and double while Kevin Andersen and Zak Leighton each added two hits to the Wildcat attack.
            Starter Nick Ragan worked the first six innings and got a no-decision, charged with five hits and three runs (one earned) with one walk and one strikeout.  Reliever Ryan Zweck (3-2) was tagged with the loss, giving up one run in 2/3 of an inning pitched.
            Wayne State is scheduled to play at Upper Iowa in a 1 p.m. NSIC doubleheader in Fayette, Iowa.