INDIANOLA, IOWA—The Hamline University baseball team traveled 3 1/2 hours south for a three-game weekend series at Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa, which began with a pair of contests on Saturday afternoon. The Pipers dropped a pair of games to the Storm by scores of 10-0 and 6-3.
Hamline falls to 4-12, while Simpson improves to 9-6 with the Saturday sweep.
Simpson 10, Hamline 0
Storm pitcher Dante Dolash allowed just four hits and struck out three over 5 1/3 innings of pitching work before Andrew Weig closed the door in the final 1 2/3. Mac Enlow notched a double while Caden Erickson, Colin Schuetz, and Braeden Bourne each tallied a single for the Pipers.
Zach Branson, Jonah Smallfield, and Luke Schmaedeke combined to give up 12 hits, 10 runs, and notch three strikeouts on the pitching mound for Hamline.
Simpson 6, Hamline 3
Hamline turned a Simpson error into a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Tyler Johnson was hit by a pitch, and called safe at second base off a throwing error when Mac Enlow reached on a fielder's choice. Johnson reached third off Gerstner's sacrifice bunt, and scored off Erickson's fielder's choice to make things 1-0.
That proved to be the Pipers' lone advantage of the game as the Storm responded with four runs in the bottom of the first, which gave them a 4-1 lead they wouldn't surrender in a 6-3 victory.
Gavin Renwick went 2-for-4 with a pair of singles, while Bourne's double highlighted his 1-for-4 outing. Simpson utilized five pitchers, who combined to give up eight hits and strikeout nine Pipers.
Conor Mestemacher, Dalton Maxwell, and Xavier Bembnister combined to surrender seven hits and notch 12 strikeouts on the mound for Hamline. Six of those strikeouts belonged to Maxwell, who allowed two runs and two hits over four innings of work. Mestemacher registered five strikeouts over the first three frames.
The Pipers will face Simpson again tomorrow, Sunday, March 26 in a single game at 3Â p.m.
