SAINT PAUL, MINN.—The 2022 home finale pitted the Hamline University baseball team against first-year MIAC member St. Scholastica (DH) at CHS Field on Saturday night. The Pipers prevailed with a 9-0 victory in game one, and found themselves on the wrong end of a 3-1 score against the Saints in game two.
Hamline sees their record go to 13-24, 6-14 MIAC, while St. Scholastica moves to 15-17, 10-10 MIAC.
Hamline 9, St. Scholastica 0
Cullen Buck scored the game's first run in the first inning as he reached on an error, moved to second on Mac Enlow's single, advanced to third on Max Gerstner's sacrifice bunt, and touched home plate on Tyler Johnson's sacrifice fly to give Hamline a 1-0 lead. Caden Erickson gave the Pipers a 2-0 lead in the second inning; where he led off with a single, moved to second on Braeden Bourne's sacrifice bunt, advanced to third on Avery Liebren's groundout, and scored when Avery Nelson reached on an error.
Hamline stretched their advantage to 8-0 in the fifth inning, where all six of their hits in the frame were singles. Four of those singles produced runs courtesy of Mac Enlow, Tyler Johnson, Liebren (2), and Stephen Schmidt (2).
The Pipers made things 9-0 with a sixth-inning run. Cullen Buck led off the frame with a hit by pitch, before he scored off Johnson's double down the left field line.
Johnson went 2-for-3 with three RBI, while Enlow tallied a 2-for-3 outing for a Hamline offense that out hit the Saints 11-3.
Zach Branson went the distance on the pitching rubber for the Pipers. He surrendered just three hits and struck out seven over seven innings of work.
St. Scholastica 3, Hamline 1
The script flipped in favor of St. Scholastica, who out hit Hamline 12-4 in the contest. It resulted in one run in each the third, fourth, and seventh innings that gave them a 3-0 cushion.
The Pipers sent the potential tying run to the plate in the ninth inning, where Cullen Buck and Mac Enlow reached base on a single and hit by pitch, respectively. Back-to-back groundouts from Johnson and Gerstner scored Buck to narrow Hamline's deficit to 3-1.
Buck, Johnson, Gerstner, and Caden Erickson each had a hit for Hamline.
Pipers pitchers Ryan Conn, Braden Schneider, Jonah Smallfield, Will Tzavaras, and Hayden Ring combined to allow 12 hits and strikeout six batters.
The Pipers will conclude their 2022 season at UW-Eau Claire (DH) tomorrow, Sunday, May 8 at 2 p.m.