Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 It was an unusual end to a long day of baseball. But Hamline will gladly take it.

Cam Smith drew a bases loaded walk in the bottom of the 9th inning to push across the winning run and give Hamline a 7-6 win over Augsburg and a split of their doubleheader at Midway Stadium. The Auggies won the first game, also in nine innings, 5-4.

Matt Connell opened the inning with his third hit of the game, a booming triple to right center. Evan Cordell, who had hits in both games, and Dan Moro were intentionally bypassed to get to Smith, who worked the count to 3-2 and then took a pitch that dripped low to end five hours of intense baseball. 

Rob Miller, who threw 4.2 innings of superb hitless relief, earned the win. 

HU had jumped to a 6-1 lead in the game. They scored four times in the second inning (Connell and Cordell had RBIs and Moro was safe on an error that plated two runs) and added a pair in the third on RBI singles by Andy Sammon and Connell.  The Auggies rebounded for five in the fifth to tie the game and it stayed that way until Smith's walk.

The Pipers played superb defense. Sammon, in particular, was superb, starting a couple of double plays. He also had three hits, scored twice, knocked in a run and had a stolen base.

The last gasp win eased the frustration of the opening game.Starting pitcher  Ryan Gick gave up seven hits but was victimized by some faulty defense that led to three unearned runs in his 3.2 innings of work. The Pipers trailed 3-2 and were down to their last strike in the bottom of the 7th when Harley Thompson drilled a double into the gap to score Smith and tie the game. Augsburg got a run in the 8th but HU came back again, this time with Connell providing a two out RBI single to send the game to the 9th. Augsburg scored a run in the 9th as well to claim the win. 

Hamline is now 7-8 overall, 1-4 in the MIAC. They play at Concordia Saturday and return to Midway Sunday to host Gustavus Adolphus in a 1:00 p.m. doubleheader.