Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

It is early in the baseball season but the Hamline Pipers have found a formula that works just fine. For the second time this year, Sam Petrick came on in relief to choke off a rally to earn the win and Nate Rubbelke delivered the save.

This time, the scene was US Bank Stadium Tuesday night as the Pipers carved out a 2-1 win over Wis-Stout in the opener of a doubleheader. The Blue Devils evened the score with a 6-1 win in the second game, dropping the Pipers to 2-2 overall on the young season.

There was some excellent pitching in the first game. Alex Bauermeister started strong, fanning the first four batters he faced, A fourth inning throwing error led to an unearned run. When Bauermeister left in favor of Petrick in the fifth, he had recorded eight strikeouts. Petrick inherited runners on first and second base. The first batter he faced singled to left but Joe Setrum's strong throw kept the bases loaded. Petrick retired the next batter on a fly to left and it was still 1-0.

HU tied the game the next inning on  Mitch Benson's RBI single. In the top of the seventh, little ball was played to perfection for the winning rally. Nick Kukurich, batting for Leo Zerr, led off with a walk and Trey Fails ran for him. Dominic Dandrea bunted perfectly, sending Fails to second. A.passed ball moved him to third and Jacob Picht lifted a sacrifice fly to left to send him home.

That was Rubbelke's cue to enter. The sophomore appeared to be in trouble when he allowed a one out walk followed by a single. The lefty, however, solved the problem by picking the lead runner off second base and ending the game on a routine grounder.

The second game wasn't as pleasant. In the first inning, Colin Olstad was hit by a pitch and eventually rode home on a Benson single. But the Pipers could only manage two hits in the next six innings. Zach Smith's 2017 debut on the mound saw him allow the run that broke the tie and he got tagged with the loss.

Hamline has one more date at US Bank Stadium. The Pipers will play Buena Vista on Monday, March 6. The doubleheader begins at 4:30 p.m.