MINNEAPOLIS, MINN.—The 19th Annual Hammer Game pitted the Hamline University football team at Augsburg on Saturday afternoon. The Pipers, who finished the game with 392 yards of total offense against the Auggies' 314, scored touchdowns on their first two possessions of the game that resulted in a 14-7 lead after the first quarter. This ignited an Auggies team who accumulated 243 yards of offense and 30 points over the second and third quarters, which gave them enough cushion in a 37-27 win over Hamline.

The Pipers fall to 2-3, 0-3 MIAC, while the Auggies improve to 2-3, 1-2 MIAC.

Augsburg 37, Hamline 27

Time of possession was dominated by Hamline in the opening frame, where they ran 18 plays for 158 yards and 10:28 of clock time. Running back Nicholas Vasko rushed for 19 yards over five carries on the Pipers' opening possession, which included a two-yard touchdown run that put them in the driver's seat 7-0 lead with 7:30 on the clock.

Augsburg quarterback Ryan Harvey, who finished the game 24-of-28 for 259 yards and three touchdowns, responded on his team's first series that was five plays for 83 yards. It included his one-yard touchdown run that knotted the score at 7-7 with 3:30 left in the first. 

Villanueva was flawless for Hamline on the next drive, where he rushed for nine yards and registered a 65-yard touchdown toss to D'Nari Adams that gave his team a 14-7 lead with 0:51 left in the first quarter.

Ryan Harvey was dynamite for Augsburg over the second and third quarters, where he completed 16-of-20 passes for 194 yards and three touchdowns. The Auggies turned their first five drives of the second and third quarters into points courtesy of a two-yard touchdown run from Will Smith, Tyrone Wilson touchdown grabs from 26 and six yards out, CJ Ritchie's 12-yard score, and Nathan Wangensteen's 27-yard field goal that gave Augsburg 37-14 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

The Pipers narrowed their deficit to 37-27 in the fourth quarter behind Dawson Schaffer's three-yard touchdown pass to Villanueva with 13:13 on the clock, and Nicholas Vasko's one-yard touchdown run in the final minute.

Villanueva went 16-of-24 for 293 yards and one touchdown. First-year D'Nari Adams caught seven passes for 131 yards and one touchdown, while Dawson Schaffer also accumulated 131 yards on four grabs. Hamline's ground game was highlighted by Vasko's 38 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries.

Croix Zacharias, who had a quarterback hurry and a tackle-for-loss, finished with nine tackles for the Hamline defense. Elijah Jamison also had nine tackles to go with a sack for a loss of five yards.

The Pipers will return to Klas Field on Saturday, October 19 to host Concordia (Minn.) at 1 p.m.