Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 The Hamline softball team saved one of their best performances for their last home game of the season. Sarah DeMars threw her third shutout of the season and the trio of Abbie Annen, Chelsea Koehn and Casey Anderson combined for five runs, six hits and three RBI as the Pipers defeated Augsburg, 6-0, to earn a split of the doubleheader Saturday at Meredith Field. Hamline lost the first game in eight innings, 7-5. 

The Pipers improved to 15-7 in MIAC action and clinched a second consecutive postseason bid for the tournament, which be held at St. Thomas May 6-8. Hamline has completed its MIAC schedule. They could still finish as high as tied for second with St. Catherine (15-5 with two games remaining). Gustavus Adolphus is 13-9 with four games remaining. 

Demars shook off a loss in the first game to keep the Auggies at bay throughout. The junior righty walked nobody, fanned two and allowed just one runner to reach third base to improve to 10-7 on the season. She got plenty of offensive support. In the second inning, Annen and eventually scored on Kelsey McWilliams' sacrifice fly. In the fourth, Annen led off with a double, moved to third on Koehn's bunt single and dashed home on Anderson's bunt. Later, Anderson capped the scoring with her second home run of the day, a booming shot to left field. The junior is now tied with SS Jamie Rubbelke for the team lead with four each. 

The first game was a wild affair that saw the Pipers commit an uncharacteristic four errors that led to three unearned runs. Augsburg scored first but Anderson quickly evened matters with a homer to left field. HU was down 2-1 in the fourth when Orrell, who raised her batting average to a team leading (and third best in the MIAC) .420 with a 3-for-6 day, homered to straight center field. (Mary-Clare Couillard was also 3-for-6 and move dinto fifth place in the league with a .402 mark.) The Auggies took the lead in the sixth only to see Hamline take it back with two runs in the last of the sixth, the second of which was knocked in Anderson. The visitors tied the game in the seventh and took the lead with three runs in the top of the eighth. Annen triggered another rally with a homer -- the Pipers' third of the game. HU picked up two more hits before Augsburg finally silenced their bats. DeMars, who relieved Anderson on the mound to start the eighth, was a hardluck losing pitcher. 

It was the final Meredith Field games for Rubbelke, Orrell, Koehn and McWilliams. 

The season is far from over, though. Hamline (22-14 overall) plays at Northwestern (Roseville) on Monday, May 2 and at Wis-River Falls on Tuesday, May 4. Then, it is on to the playoffs and a shot at the NCAA tournament. The double eliminatuion event starts Friday, May 4. HU will face either St. Thomas at 2:30 p.m. or St. Catherine/Gustavus Adolphus at 5:00 p.m.