Hamline University 2, UW-Stout 1 |
UW-Stout 6, Hamline University 1 |
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MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (February 28, 2017) - UW-Stout seemed to find its hitting stride while splitting a doubleheader with Hamline University Tuesday night at US Bank Stadium. The Pipers won the first game, 2-1, at the impressive new stadium, but the Blue Devils returned the favor with a 6-1 second game win.
Just a day earlier, the Blue Devils (2-2) could not seem to find the gaps while splitting with Bethel University, tallying five total hits against the Royals.
Well, the Blue Devils definitely were swinging a livelier bat on Tuesday night, collecting seven hits in the 2-1, seventh inning loss to the Pipers (2-2) and cracked out nine hits in the 6-1 win nightcap (morningcap?) The first game started at 9:15 p.m. and the doubleheader concluded at approximately 1:15 a.m.).
While Stout was able to collect hits in the first game, runs were hard to come by. After three-and-a-half scoreless innings, Stout struck first by taking advantage of some erratic play by the Pipers.
Noah Brown led off with an infield hit, advanced to second on the throw and took third on a wild pitch. Following a
Jon Krueger walk,
Jordan Wilson's fielders choice plated Brown.
The Pipers tied the score in the top of the sixth on an RBI single by Mitch Benson. Hamline captured the win in the top of the seventh, drawing a lead off walk off Stout reliever
Derek Graves. A sacrifice bunt and a passed ball put the runner on third and Jacob Picht delivered a sacrifice fly which turned into the winning run.
Graves took the hard luck loss without surrendering a hit. Lucas Eide went six innings, giving up four hits while recording six strikeouts and one walk. Sam Petrick pitched 1.1 innings to take the win and Nate Rubbelke pitched the final inning for the save.
Brown was 3-for-4 at the plate for the Blue Devils. Colin Olstad was 2-for-4 to lead the Pipers, who finished with four hits.
In the second game, the Pipers took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first as Benson delivered his second RBI of the series. But that would be it for the Pipers as starter
Tyler Christensen, making his first collegiate start, shut down Hamline the rest of the way.
Stout tied the game in the second inning when
Matt Emmer made his way around the bases with a two-out single, moved to third on a single by
Tim Bott and scored on a balk. Stout then took a 2-1 lead on a sacrifice fly by Brown in the third inning.
The Blue Devils added two runs in the fifth. Brown drove in
Reid Akerman with a single to centerfield and eventually scored on a series of errors by the Pipers.
Ben Vanhove tripled to lead off the sixth and scored on
Kyle Hamilton's sacrifice fly.
Ryan Connor came on as a pinch hitter and drove in Stout's final run in the inning and the game, slicing a ball through the left side, scoring
Jordan Wilson who had reached on an error.
Brad Rindfleisch came on in relief, shutting the Pipers down. Christensen struck out three, walked none and scattered four hits for the win.
Brown was 2-for-3 with two RBI to lead all hitters. Vanhove was 2-for-4 with a run scored. The Pipers' Mitch Benson was 2-for-3.
Stout returns to US Bank Stadium Tuesday, March 7 to take on Augsburg College at 9:30 p.m.
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