Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 The Hamline softball team started the second half of the MIAC season the way they did in the first half. HU pounded out 16 runs and 22 hits in sweeping Concordia, 5-0 and 11-3 in six innings Sunday at sunny, windy Meredith Field. Hamline has now won seven games in a row and 15 of the last 16 played. Their 11-1 standard in conference play is two games better than second place Bethel and St. Thomas. The overall total of 18 wins (against six losses) matches their output for the entire 2014 season. 

Less than 24 hours after completing a marathon 22 innings of play, the Pipers looked as fresh as could be. Jenna Dushaw (pictured) had four hits and five RBI in the twin wins. Mary-Clare Couillard rapped out four singles in the second game and raised her team leading (and fourth overall in the MIAC) average to .437. Chelsea Koehn and Amanda Orrell each contributed three hits and a RBI. And the tireless Casey Anderson, who threw 21 innings Saturday to get a pair of wins against St. Catherine, came back for 11 more and earned two more Ws to push her record to 11-3 overall with a snappy 2.10 ERA. 

HU wasted no time getting to business in the opener. Orrell's RBI double highlighted a two-run first inning. Dushaw had a two RBI single as part of a three-run third frame. Anderson took it from there, scattering five hits, walking body and striking out a pair in an efficient 74 pitchers. 

In the second game, Sarah DeMars started and went the first two innings. Anderson replaced her in the third and the Cobbers, helped by an error, tagged her for three runs and a 3-0 lead. The Pipers responded quickly by sending 10 batters to the plate in a four run third inning and 11 in a six run fourth frame. Dushaw was in the middle of this action as well. Her two run single in the third put Hamline ahead for keeps at 4-3. In the fourth, she singled home her fifth run of the day. Couillard provided the capper to the big outburst with a two RBI single. 

Off to their best conference start ever, HU will look to keep it going with a pair of doubleheaders at Meredith Field this week. Macalester (5-6, 17-11) visits on Tuesday and St. Benedict is the guest on Thursday. Both doubleheaders start at 3:30 p.m.