TOPEKA, Kan. - The Hamline baseball team (0-3) opened the season this past weekend, heading down to Kansas to take on non-conference opponent Buena Vista (3-0) in a three-game series. The Beavers won all three games, with two of the contests being decided by two runs or less.
 
The Pipers will now look ahead to six games being played at US Bank Stadium in the next two weeks. Hamline will first take on Luther on February 28 with a pair of games starting at 11:55 p.m.
 
GAME 1: BUENA VISTA 9, HAMLINE 8
In the first game of the series, Hamline rallied for three runs in the top of the ninth to tie up the game, but Buena Vista would get the run they needed in the bottom of the inning to win the game.
 
The Pipers scored first, as they took advantage of a BVU error in the second inning to get senior Devin Rodgers across. In the third, HU also capitalized on a Beaver error, with junior Cullen Buck scoring this time to give Hamline a 2-0 lead.
 
The Beavers tied the game in the bottom of the third, scoring two runs off a sacrifice fly to center.
 
The fourth inning was action-packed, with HU getting three runs across with two hits and three players getting hit by a pitch. Buena Vista got two of those runs back in the bottom of the inning, with two scoring on a double, making it 5-4 in favor of HU.
 
A home run in the fifth for BVU tied the game up at five apiece. It would remain tied until the eighth when the Beavers rallied to score three runs on four hits to put them up 8-5. The Pipers would tie it up in the top of the ninth, as junior Zack Langton scored on a balk, Rodgers drove in senior Jake Dujmovic, and senior Tyler Brick homered.
 
A leadoff double for the Beavers in the ninth allowed them to score the winning run on a single from the next batter, earning the 9-8 win.
 
Six different Pipers recorded a hit in the game, with Buck scoring twice and driving in a run.
 
GAME 2: BUENA VISTA 16, HAMLINE 5
Game two was an offensive one, with both teams recording double digit hits. Buck led the Pipers at the plate, going 3-6 with three RBIs. Dujmovic went 2-2 and added three walks for HU and sophomore Stephen Schmidt also had a pair of hits.
 
After one and a half innings, Buena Vista led 4-0, but Hamline would get on the board in the second with an RBI single from senior Cyle Hartwig. The Pipers would add two more runs in the sixth with a double from Buck and a bases loaded walk from Dujmovic, but would find themselves trailing 16-3 headed into their final at-bats.
 
Buck doubled for the second time in the game in the final inning, scoring two to make the final 16-5.
 
GAME 3: BUENA VISTA 4, HAMLINE 2
In the final game of the series, played on Sunday, the Pipers came up just short with a 4-2 final. First year Mac Enlow drove in both of Hamline's runs in the game, doubling in the second and third innings. He also pitched the final two innings, allowing no hits and striking out three.
 
The Beavers scored first in the game, using a sac fly to get a runner across in the second. Enlow answered for the Pipers in the bottom of the inning, driving in Rodgers.
 
HU would take over the lead in the third, with Enlow's double scoring Langton to make it 2-1 in their favor. However, Buena Vista scored three in the fourth inning, including what would end up being the winning run.
 
Dujmovic took the loss on the mound, throwing four innings and giving up four runs (three earned) in his outing. Senior Nolan Hartmann threw three scoreless innings in relief, striking out five of his 11 batters.  
 
Buck had another solid game at the plate for Hamline, going 3-5 and Rodgers finished the day with two hits and a stolen base.