Augustana, with 11 Minnesotans, advances to NCAA Division II national softball tournament as favorite

Augustana scored seven runs in the first inning — six of them on three triples — to rout Minnesota State Mankato 7-0 in the championship game of the NCAA Division II Central Region on Saturday afternoon in Edmond, Okla.

Gracey Brink had a two-run triple, followed by Torri Chute's triple to make it 3-0. Abbie Lund had a three-run triple for the final runs for the Vikings (47-6), the top seed and the nation's No. 1-ranked team. Chute, a sophomore, played for Stillwater High School.

Ashley Mickschl, a senior who played for Woodbury High School, pitched a three-hitter for Augustana, which beat the Mavericks 2-1 Friday in the winners' bracket final. No. 17 MSU Mankato (40-10) was the second seed.

Augustana, which has 11 Minnesotans on its roster and is led by head coach Gretta Melsted, a native of Albert Lea, advances to the four-day national tournament, starting Thursday in Denver. The Vikings were the national champions in 2019.

Minnesota State Mankato defeated Augustana 11-9 on Friday night in Sioux Falls, S.D., to win its sixth NSIC baseball tournament.

The Mavericks, who lost 9-2 to the Vikings earlier in the day, scored six runs in the fifth inning to take an 11-3 lead. The big hit for the No. 13 Mavericks (37-8) in their big inning was Ben Livorsi's two-run triple. Livorsi, a junior, played for Minnetonka High School. The loss dropped No. 18 Augustana to 36-11.

MSU Mankato will find out its opponent in the Central Regional from Thursday to next Sunday in Warrensburg, Mo., during the NCAA Division II baseball selection show, which will be streamed on NCAA.com at 9 p.m. Sunday.

Ahead 3-1, the Tommies (30-8) broke the game open with four runs in the fifth, two scored on Mackenzie Rudy's single.

In other Waverly regional games, Milwaukee School of Engineering scored twice in the first and once in the second to edge top-seeded St. Olaf 3-1. Lorrin Pondo made the lead hold up for MSOE (34-9) by limiting St. Olaf (26-6) to one run in a complete-game win. She scattered five hits and struck out eight. Julie Graf of St. Olaf fell to 20-6 after giving up three runs on five hits while striking out 14 and walking five.

The Oles later beat fourth-seeded Coe 2-0 on Graf's two-hitter and 11 strikeouts to avoid elimination. Tarah DeCroock hit a two-run homer in the fifth.

• The Oles' Graf, a senior, was named one of 15 finalists for the 2021 Schutt Sports/National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division III National Pitcher and Player of the Year last week.

• The Gophers baseball team lost its 16th straight game, losing 17-4 to Purdue at Siebert Field. Andrew Wilhite hit a solo homer for Minnesota (4-29 overall/Big Ten).

• Minnesota United announced it will loan goalkeeper Adrian Zendejas, 25, to El Paso Locomotive FC of the USL Championship. He joined the Loons from Nashville SC in the middle of the 2020 season.