Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 Sometimes baseball can be a very simple game. Give a team two solid pitching start, a few terrific fielding plays and just a couple of clutch hits and you have the formula for a doubleheader sweep.

The Hamline baseball team used just such a brew to defeat St. John's, 4-1 and 2-1 in their opening home games at Midway Stadium. the sweep propelled the Pipers back into the middle of the MIAC chase with a 2-4 league mark (15-7 overall).

And they have Casey Benford and Andy Weiss, among others, to thank for it.

Benford (pictured at left getting congratulations from catcher Mark Radmacher), making his first start of the season, held the hardhitting Johnnies to just six hits in the opener.

After SJU pushed across a run in the thrid inning to take an early 1-0 lead, no runner got past second base. Benford walked two, fanned three and receuived excellent defensive in the fornm of two double plays (one of which ended the game). The Pipers didnt bash the ball much themselves, getting just five hits. But they bunched them well, combining two of them with a wild pitch and a fielder's choicxe for two runs in the third inning. In the sixth, Harley Thompson gave Benford some breathing room with a ringing two RBi singles that closed the scoring. 

The Johnnies did bring the tying run to the plate in the seventh inning but Jordan Rubbelke snared a ground ball and started a double play that ended the game. Benford lowered his ERA to 1.52, second in the league.

As good as Benford was, Weiss may have been even better in the second game as he dropped his ERA to 2.08, which ranks third best in the MIAC.. The lefty used just 87 pitches and held the Johnnies to just four singles to improve to 4-1 on the season. SJU scord a run in the top of the first inning but never got past first base after that. Weiss was helped by a web gem catch by Dan Moro in center field that ended one inning and a double play that squelched another. Cam Smith provided all the offense Weiss would need with a clutch two out, two RBI single in the fourth inning. Dan Ellefson had the only other hits (both singles) the Pipers would muster on this sunny Saturday. 

Just happy to be back on the field, the Pipers will play two more when they host Macalester (9-18, 2-6 MIAC) Sunday at Midway in a 1:00 p.m. doubleheader.

In na sea change of schedules, HU returns to Midway Monday night for a rare twi-night doubleheader against Carleton. The first pitch is set for 6:00 p.m.