LAWTON – The Aggie baseball team ran out of innings on Friday as their comeback fell short in game one of a four-game slate against Augustana, falling 9-6.

Cameron's first non-conference slate of the 2021 season featured a matchup with an Augustan squad who was opening their season picked to win the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.

The Vikings got to CU starter Michael Womack, who was coming off a one-hit, five strikeout performance in his last outing, scoring one run in the first and six in the third, five of which where charged to Womack's line.

Down 7-0, Cameron got one back in the bottom of the third. Cooper Edwards was hit to put one on for Julian Macias, who blooped a single into right field. With runners on first and third, Beau Williams walked to load the bases for CU. A passed ball in the next at-bat allowed Edwards to score from third, but that would be all the Aggies would get out of the threat as Erik Ohman and Nik Sanchez went down in order to end the inning.

Augustana added another run in the fourth and one more in the sixth to take a 9-1 lead over the hometown Aggies.

Cameron cut into that deficit in the bottom of the eighth with two runs on a pair of hits and two errors. Williams walked once again to open the frame, and then after a pair of K's, Jayce Clem singled to the shortstop and an error put runners on second and third with two outs.

CU skipper Kyle Williams called on pinch-hitter Jordan Harrison-Dudley, who promptly brought home Clem and Williams on a triple to left field, cutting the Viking lead to 9-3.

After Augustana got two runners on in the top of the inning with nothing to show for it, the Aggies made the Viking fans who made the voyage to Lawton sweat in the bottom of the ninth.

With two outs, Macias reached on an error by the pitcher, Williams singled to left, and Ohman walked to load the bases. Sanchez chopped a ball over the pitcher's head that allowed Macias to score from third and keep the bases loaded. Clem was then hit in the next at-bat to bring another run across the plate.

The damage continued as Harrison-Dudley came up big again, drawing a walk to bring in another run, getting CU to within three and forcing another pitching change, the third of the inning by the Vikings. The change seemed to be the right one for Augustana head coach Tim Huber, who countered the 6-foo-7 Kalen Haynes with 6-foot-8 hurler Thomas Bruss, which resulted in a fly out to end the game.

CU's pitching staff combined for seven earned runs given up on 14 Augie hits. The combination of Womack, Carter Bourg, Nolan Archuleta, and Joseph Flood failed to record a strikeout and walked seven hitters in the loss.

Clem led CU with three hits on four plate appearances to go along with an RBI and a run scored. Harrison Dudley drove in a trio of runs for the Aggies on his pinch-hit triple and bases loaded walk in the ninth.

Augustana starter Tanner Brown earned the win with just three hits to go along with nine punch-outs on his line. Sam Baier was a perfect 4-4 with a pair of RBI at the plate.

The two teams will meet again on Saturday, March 6, for game two and three of the weekend series. Game two of the series will be a seven-inning affair starting at noon, followed by a nine-inning matchup for game three.