Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 On a beautiful afternoon for softball, the Hamline Pipers had a lot to celebrate.

The Pipers stayed in playoff contention with a pair of solid pitching efforts and a pair of home runs in recording 5-3 and 2-0 wins over St. Mary's at Meredith Field. Hamline is now 10-4 in the MIAC and tied with Bethel for third place.  The top four teams make the playoffs May 2-3 at Macalester and Augsburg.

HU wasted no time getting to work in the opener. The first six Pipers reached base in the bottom of the first frame ... and five of them scored. Brooke Chapman, who threw the CG victory to improve her won-loss mark to a perfect 7-0, drove in the first run of the game with a double. Chelsea Koehn (fielder's choice) and Lauren Turitto (single) knocked in one each and Casey Anderson capped the rally with a two RBi double.

Chapman took it from there, giving up just one earned run on five hits. 

In the second game, Sarah DeMars pitched a brilliant four-hit shutout. Only one SMU runner got as far as third base on the freshman, who was helped by three double plays. 

Jamie Rubbelke provided the only run DeMars would need with her fourth home run of the season in the third inning. In the fourth, Turitto (pictured jumping on the plate), followed suit with her third longball of the year. DeMars did the rest, allowing just one hit over the last four innings to improve to 4-3 on the season. 

Hamline, now 16-13-1 overall, has won eight of its last 10 games. The Pipers meet Bethel head on Wednesday in Arden Hills in a doubleheader. The first game is slated for a 3:30 p.m. start.