ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Hamline baseball team (10-17, 2-8) faced off against Saint John's University (Minn.) (13-10, 4-4) in a doubleheader on Sunday at CHS Field, resulting in a loss in both games. In the first game, Hamline fell 9–4, while in the second, they were narrowly defeated 4–2 in eleven innings.
In the first game, Hamline took an early lead in the first inning when
Ryan Burley singled to right field and stole second base.
Owen Hodson advanced him to third with a single, and Alex Hokenson drove in Burley with a single to right field. Hodson then scored on a double play, giving Hamline a 2–0 lead after the first inning. However, Saint John's responded aggressively in the second, scoring seven runs, highlighted by Reed Marquardt's three-RBI triple and a two-run homer by Brendan Hemr in the fifth inning that extended their lead to 9–2.
Hamline attempted a comeback in the seventh inning with a series of hits, including a double from
Grant Peltier and a single from
Bentley Casey, which set up
Dane Damson's RBI single. An error allowed
Ryan Burley to reach base and score Casey, but the effort fell short, with Hamline trailing 9–4 by the end of the inning.
Ryan Burley finished with one hit, one run scored, an RBI, and a stolen base, while
Owen Hodson contributed with two hits and a run scored.
Grant Peltier recorded two hits, including a double. On the mound,
Carter Hoff pitched 1 2/3 innings, allowing five earned runs, while
Alex Hawley closed the game with two innings pitched, allowing two hits and striking out one.
In the second game, Hamline secured an early lead again in the first inning when
Owen Hodson walked and advanced to third on a hit-by-pitch and a single by
Jack Rheineck.
Grant Peltier's bases-loaded walk brought Hodson home for a 1–0 lead. Hamline extended its lead in the fifth when
Stevie Schmitt doubled and scored on Hodson's sacrifice groundout, bringing the score to 2–0. However, Saint John's rallied in the eighth inning with a two-RBI single from Justin Brooks, evening the score at 2–2.
The game remained tied until the eleventh inning, when Will Koeppen doubled and Alex Matchey followed with an RBI single to give Saint John's the lead. Will Wareham added another run with an RBI single, concluding the game with a final score of 4–2. Hans Christensen pitched an impressive 10 1/3 innings, striking out nine batters while allowing four earned runs.
Grant Peltier had one hit and an RBI, while
Owen Hodson scored a run and added an RBI with one walk.