TUCSON, Ariz. -- The Augsburg College baseball team has opened with a 2-1 start to its 10-game trip to Arizona for the Tucson Invitational Games, falling 6-5 to Illinois Tech on Saturday, while sweeping Lewis and Clark (Ore.) 11-0 and 7-2 on Sunday.

THE BASICS
SCORES: Illinois Tech 6, Augsburg 5; Augsburg 11, Lewis and Clark (Ore.) 0; Augsburg 7, Lewis and Clark (Ore.) 2
LOCATION: Kino Sports Complex, Tucson, Ariz.
RECORD: Augsburg 6-5 overall

WEEKEND HIGHLIGHTS
• Designated hitter Jack Duffy (SR, Fridley, Minn./DeLaSalle HS) had a strong weekend for the Auggies, hitting .615 (8-of-13) with a double, triple, three runs scored and five RBI. 
• Zach Bakko (JR, Northfield, Minn.) went 4-fof-7 with a double, home run, four RBI and three runs scored on the weekend, while Eric Olheiser (SR, Maplewood, Minn./Tartan HS) went 4-for-9 with a double, triple, home run, five runs scored and two RBI.

ILLINOIS TECH HIGHLIGHTS
• Trailing 6-2 going into the bottom of the ninth, the Auggies scored three runs on RBI singles by Tyler "Jonesy" Buescher (SR, Prior Lake, Minn.), Josh Marlowe (SR, North St. Paul, Minn.) and Duffy, but the potential game-tying run was tagged out at the plate for the final out of the contest.
• Duffy singled to drive in Buescher with the Auggies' first run of the game in the third inning. Olheiser led off the fourth inning with a triple and scored on a sacrifice bunt by Mike Snow (FY, Corrales, N.M./Sandia Prep HS).
• Duffy went 3-for-5 to lead the Auggies, while Olheiser went 2-for-4.
• Lincoln Hochmuth (SR, Cannon Falls, Minn./St. Croix Lutheran HS) struck out four while walking one in 6.2 innings of pitching for the Auggies, with Dayton Danielson (FY, St. Charles, Minn.) pitching 2.1 innings of relief.

LEWIS AND CLARK GAME 1 HIGHLIGHTS
• Augsburg collected 12 hits in the first game against Lewis and Clark, including two grand-slam home runs -- by Jordan DeCroock (JR, Farmington, Minn.) in the second inning and by Bakko in the third inning. 
• Three more runs came across in the seventh, as Duffy tripled and scored on a sacrifice fly by Clayton Bodine (SO, Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata HS), Duffy scored on a single by Walker Rogers (FY, Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley HS), and Bakko doubled and scored on a DeCroock single.
• Marlowe scored two runs for the Auggies, with Rhett Hebig (SR, Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview HS), and  scoring the other Auggie runs.
• Duffy and Bakko each went 3-for-4 in the game, while DeCroock went 2-for-4 with five RBI. Buescher also had two hits in the game.
• Jordan Brandt (SR, Eagan, Minn.) struck out two while walking three and allowing two hits in 4.2 innings of pitching, with Joey Tschida (FY, Lakeville, Minn./St. Thomas Academy HS) striking out three while allowing just one hit in 2.1 innings of relief.

LEWIS AND CLARK GAME 2 HIGHLIGHTS
• A four-run first inning -- with a two-run double by Duffy and a two-run homer by Olheiser -- gave the Auggies an early advantage. Duffy singled home a run in the second inning, DeCrook plated Bodine on a sacrifice fly in the fifth inning, and Marlowe hit an RBI double to plate a run in the sixth.
• Duffy, Marlowe and Buescher had two hits each for the Auggies, with Duffy driving in three runs and Buescher scoring twice.
• Ryan Kain (JR, Gurnee, Ill./Warren Township HS) pitched three innings, striking out one, while Charles Linder (SO, Harris, Minn./North Branch HS) struck out one while walking one in four innings of relief to gain the pitching win.

UP NEXT
• Augsburg returns to action on Monday (3/13) with games against Valley City State (N.D.) and Illinois Tech in Tucson.