TUCSON, Ariz. -- The Augsburg College baseball team improved to 8-5 on the season with a pair of wins at the Tucson Invitational Games on Monday -- a 17-3 triumph over Valley City State (N.D.) and a 6-2 win over Illinois Tech.

THE BASICS
SCORES: Augsburg 17, Valley City State (N.D.) 3 (7 inn.); Augsburg 6, Illinois Tech 2
LOCATION: Kino Sports Complex, Tucson, Ariz.
RECORD: Augsburg 8-5 overall

VALLEY CITY STATE GAME HIGHLIGHTS
• Augsburg pounded out 17 hits, including four doubles and a home run, in the game, halted after seven innings due to the tournament's 10-run rule.
• Meanwhile, Auggie pitcher Jamie Kaye (SO, Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson HS) threw a complete-game victory, striking out six while walking two and allowing eight hits. After giving up three runs -- two earned -- in the first two innings, Kaye pitched five straight scoreless innings, retiring the last 11 batters in order.
• A three-run home run by Eric Olheiser (SR, Maplewood, Minn./Tartan HS) was the key hit in a five-run first inning, along with RBI singles by Walker Rogers (FY, Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley HS) and a bases-loaded walk, as 11 batters came to the plate.
• Tyler "Jonesy" Buescher (SR, Prior Lake, Minn.) doubled and scored on an infield grounder by Jack Duffy (SR, Fridley, Minn./DeLaSalle HS) in the fourth. Rogers drove in a run on an infield groundout in the fifth, with runs also coming in on a Jordan DeCroock (JR, Farmington, Minn.) double and Rhett Hebig (SR, Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview HS) single. Rogers plated two runs on a single in the sixth.
• Augsburg sent 10 batters to the plate in the seventh, scoring six runs. RBI singles by Olheiser, Buescher and Hebig plated runs, along with sacrifice flies by Clayton Bodine (SO, Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata HS) and DeCroock, and a bases-loaded walk by Rogers.
• Every Augsburg starter had at least one base hit in the game, with Buescher and Hebig each going 3-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored. Rogers had two hits and five RBI, Olheiser had two hits and four RBI, and Zach Bakko (JR, Northfield, Minn.) scored four runs..

ILLINOIS TECH GAME HIGHLIGHTS
• Olheiser hit his second three-run homer of the day in the bottom of the first inning, sparking the Auggies to the victory. He also had an RBI on a groundout in the third, driving in Duffy, who had led off the inning with a triple.
• The Auggies scored twice in the ninth, as Duffy and Bodine each singled in runs.
• Bodine, Duffy, Marlowe and Joe Rydel (SO, Forest Lake, Minn.) had two hits each, with Rydel and Duffy scoring two runs each.
• Dayton Danielson (FY, St. Charles, Minn.) picked up the pitching win in relief of starter Jacob Kari (JR, North Branch, Minn.). Kari struck out eight while walking six in four innings of work, while Danielson had two strikeouts in three innings of relief. Spencer Saunders (JR, Liberty, S.C.) claimed his second save of the year with two innings of scoreless, one-hit relief, striking out three.

UP NEXT
• Augsburg has a day off on Tuesday (3/14) and returns to action on Wednesday (3/15) with a single game against Marian (Wis.) in Tucson.