CROOKSTON, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Crookston baseball team picked up a split on Wed., April 27 with Augustana University. The Golden Eagles upended No. 22 Augustana, 7-6. They had an early 6-0 advantage on the Vikings in game two, but fell 14-9. The win was perhaps the biggest in program history as they upended a ranked team.
 
Minnesota Crookston sits at 23-15 (16-7 NSIC) and moves one game closer to clinching their first NSIC tournament berth since the 2001 season. The Golden Eagles remain in fourth place. Augustana moved into second, as University of Minnesota Duluth surpassed them. UMC is down to their final six games beginning next Wednesday on the road against Minot State University.

The Golden Eagles were down 6-3 to Augustana heading into the fifth inning. To begin the fifth, Colton Haight (Sr., C/OF, Rogers, Minn.) would score on an error. Reed Hjelle (Fr., OF/1B, East Grand Forks, Minn.) then knocked a single through the left side to drive in Kenny Perez (Sr., DH/1B, Orlando, Fla.) to cut the lead to 6-5.

Minnesota Crookston would come through to take the lead in the sixth. Pinch-hitter Patrick Higgins (Jr., OF, Eagan, Minn.) singled to left center to drive in pinch-runner Dalton Parks (Sr., OF, West Valley City, Utah).

Zach Seipel (Fr., RHP, Eagan, Minn.) would pick up his 10^th save of the year as he struck out three of the four he faced.

The win would go to Cody Pamperin (Jr., RHP, Shakopee, Minn.), who picked up his second win of the season. Pamperin would go 0.2 innings and retire his only batter faced.

Haight would lead UMC in game one, going 2-of-4 with one RBI and two runs scored. Ryan Haggstrom (Sr., 1B, Apple Valley, Minn.) went 1-of-2 with one run scored and one RBI.

In game two, UMC would jump out to a 6-0 lead in the bottom of the first. The first run would cross as Jason Angelo (So., 3B, Manteca, Calif.) as he scored on a ground out. Thomas Kinsella (Sr., 2B, North Branch, Minn.) would come through with a double to plate two runs as Haggstrom and Haight scored. Zach Frazier (R-So., C, Grand Rapids, Minn.) would then put a ball in center field to drive in Kinsella and Ethan Mushitz (So., SS, East Grand Forks, Minn.). The rally would end with a clutch Riley Thompson (So., OF, Owatonna, Minn.) tripled to drive in Frazier.

Augustana would be able to cut into the lead in the third beginning with an Alex Fink double to drive in Jeremy Warne. Patrick Fiala then singled to drive in Patrick O'Donnell. The rally for the Vikings would end as Alex Beals scored on an error by Kinsella.

UMC would pad their lead in their half of the third as Frazier came up with another big hit to drive in Mushitz. Thompson then followed suit with a double to drive in Kinsella.

The Vikings would cut their lead to 9-6 in the fourth as O'Donnell blasted a two-run home run.

The Golden Eagles would run into trouble in the fifth led by O'Donnell's second home run of the day.

Augustana would extend their lead to 14-9, as they would come through with the win.

The win for Collin Lovell went to Augustana, who went 3.1 innings and gave up two hits with eight strikeouts.

The loss would fall to Jarad Nelson (Sr., RHP, Karlstad, Minn.), who gave up two earned runs on three hits in two innings.

The Golden Eagles were led in game two by Kinsella, who was 3-of-5 with two RBI's and two run scored. Frazier went 2-of-4 with three RBI's and two runs scored, while Thompson was 2-of-4 with three RBI's and Mushitz was 2-of-4 with two runs scored.

The game one loss for Augustana went to Ryan Hamilton, who fell to 6-1 on the year, giving up one earned on on three hits.

The Golden Eagles will return to play Wed., May 4 at 1:30 and 3:30 p.m. in Minot, N.D.