Reporter struck out watching baseball game instead of Elton John concert

As the Mirror’s administration reporter, I have never reported on a sports game before. So, for my senior year, I thought it would be fun to cover a game and provide an outsider’s perspective on Augustana athletics.

I got my opportunity to attend and report on a game this past weekend, as the Augustana men’s baseball team played against Bemidji State for the NCIS tournament (sadly at the same time as the Dua Lipa/Elton John “Cold Hearts, Live!” concert at the Denny Sanford Premier Center).

It was an exciting weekend for the team with three straight wins against Bemidji State.

At this point, I need to apologize, as I did forget to write down the scores.

While Augustana easily won the first two games, the last game was a bit of a nail biter.

Bemidji State was ahead for the first three quarters of the third game, Augustana behind by four goals.

However, the men noticeably gained a second wind in the fourth quarter with a basket scored by #56 (names were not on the back of the jerseys, unlike Elton’s, who’s I’m told was sparkly blue and read “Rocketman”).

#56’s basket sent the crowd inside the Elmen Center into a frenzy, and marked the beginning of an impressive turn around.

What saved the team was a touchdown in the last five minutes of the game by #84. The clock was ticking and nerves were palpable throughout the gym, the audience yelling at refs from the bleachers and players throwing their clubs on the ground in frustration.

However, #84 broke away from Bemidji’s defense with only two minutes to spare, and ran home to the goal line.

The team was obviously in good spirits after the game, evidenced by the sense of humor sophomore Nate Downs demonstrated when I interviewed him the next day.

When asked what his favorite part of the game was, Downs jokingly answered “Did you even go to the game? Or were you at the “Cold Hearts Live” concert?”

Clearly confident about the win, Downs asked, “Do you know what baseball is?”

In the wise words of one Sir Elton John, “I think it’s going to be a long, long time” before Bedmidji shows their face around the Vikings again!