Despite the fact it was a rare beautiful day in St.  Paul, the Hamline softball team really didn't want to play two games Saturday. 

But they will need to do so to stay alive in the 2019 MIAC Tournament. Despite having an edge in hits, the Pipers dropped a 3-0 decision to St. Thomas on the latter's home field in a second round game. As a result, Hamline (24-16) will face St. Olaf at 4:00 p.m. for the right to advance to the conference championship against the Tommies Sunday morning. The Oles eliminated St. Catherine from the tournament with a 4-1 victory.

Alex Molloy (22) threw her second consecutive 3-hitter but was done in by a wild pitch that led to one run and a pair of errors that set up two unearned tallies. As she did the day before in the 7-0 first round win over St. Catherine, she kept the ball down, inducing 15 ground outs. The sophomore also had a hit to push her batting average to .400. 

Hamline had hits in each of the first four innings. On three occasions, they advanced a runner into scoring position. (Kira Krueger, who had one of those hits, stretched her hitting steak to six games.) But UST (37-5) was able to get out of the inning without giving up a run. St. Thomas then scored one in the fifth frame and two more in the sixth to take the verdict.