MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - The Hamline University baseball team (9-14, 4-6 MIAC) took on Augsburg (7-18, 5-12 MIAC) on Saturday afternoon, winning the first game 2-1, but falling 6-5 in the nightcap. Both games went to extra innings.
 
GAME 1: HAMLINE 2, AUGSBURG 1 (8 INNINGS)
In game one of the doubleheader, the Pipers held a 1-0 lead for the majority of the game, but would allow the Auggies to get a run in the sixth which would eventually send the game to extra-innings. A double from first year Mac Enlow in the eighth would score junior Cullen Buck, and sophomore Zach Branson and the Piper defense held Augsburg in the bottom of the inning to earn the 2-1 win.
 
The Pipers held a slight edge in hits in the game at 5-4. All five of HU's hits came from different bats; in addition to Buck and Enlow, sophomore Logan Tollefson, first year Colton Peters, and senior Zack Langton each tallied a hit.
 
Buck started the game with a single, but would be left on in the first. The Pipers would score in the second inning, however, as Langton doubled to right center to score teammate Ian Sandbo, who reached on an error earlier in the inning.
 
No one was able to score again until the Auggies got on the board in the sixth, using two hits, a balk, and an RBI groundout to tie the game at one apiece.
 
In the eighth, Buck got on base with a walk and would go first to home on Enlow's double to put the Pipers ahead. In the bottom of the inning, Branson hit two batters, but forced a fly out and struck out the final two Auggies to lead Hamline to victory.
 
This was Branson's third complete game of the year and his second in a row in the games he has started. He only allowed four hits and struck out a season-high eight in the contest, improving to 3-3 on the season.
 
GAME 2: AUGSBURG 6, HAMLINE 5 (9 INNINGS)
In game two, it was the Auggies who came up with the clutch hits when it counted, scoring two in the bottom of the ninth to earn the walk-off, extra-inning win.
 
Buck had another solid game at the plate, going 3-5 and scoring three runs. Langton added two hits and two runs, and Tollefson drove in two for the Pipers.
 
Sophomore Braden Schneider started on the mound for Hamline, pitching the first three innings. He gave up one run on four hits and struck out three. Junior Will Tzavaras came in next, going the next 1.1 innings, giving up three runs (only two earned) on four hits while striking out two. First year Elijah Erickson pitched the final 4.0 innings, giving up two runs on five hits while striking out five. He would take the loss and move to 1-3 on the year.
 
The Pipers were consistent offensively in the first four innings, scoring once each inning. Buck once again started the game off with a leadoff single, and would score on a Tollefson groundout. In the second it was Langton who would score, as he singled, stole second, and was driven in by Sandbo, putting HU up 2-0.
 
Buck scored again in the third, as Tollefson was once again the bat that drove him in. Augsburg would get one of those runs back in the bottom of the inning as a walked batter eventually scored to make it 3-1.
 
Langton would make it 4-1 after doubling to centerfield and scoring on an RBI single from first year Braeden Bourne. Augsburg scored again in the bottom of the inning, making it 4-2 after four complete.
 
Three hits and a Piper error in the fifth led to two more runs for Augsburg, tying the game up at four.
 
Hamline had a runner on in the sixth and two on in the eighth, but were unable to get them across. Erickson, however, kept the game tied for the Pipers, who did eventually score in the ninth as Buck scored on an Auggie error, putting them ahead 5-4.
 
Augsburg would retaliate in the bottom of the inning, though, as a three hits and walk would score two runs to earn the victory.
 
The Pipers will face Augsburg again tomorrow, April 25, in the series finale at CHS Field. First pitch is set for 11:00 a.m.