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The Pipers were behind 1-0 until the third inning when the bats came to life. Two consecutive doubles scored one run to tie the game for Hamline. Cleanup hitter 1B Owen Waller came to the plate with a man on second and socked a dinger to the bleachers, putting the Pipers up 3-1. Despite Waller’s solid hitting, it was his first home run of the season. He continues to impress at the plate. He is proving to be a very patient hitter, which is evident by the amount of walks he has accumulated. By demonstrating a good eye, he’s wreaked havoc on opposing pitchers and has given most of them a good working over this year. He has more walks in the MIAC than any other hitter.

Waller is hitting for a very good average (.426) and racked up four RBIs total in doubleheader. The Gusties weren’t down for long as they mounted a come-back. Gustavus got to Chris Parent the very next inning. Anders Kronberg relieved Parent after he allowed two runs to score on four consecutive singles. The Gusties weren’t done, though, because Kronberg walked in another run before striking out the number-six hitter for Gustavus. Kronberg lasted an inning and a batter before Brain Martin who did not allow any runs relieved him. David Wold took the mound for Gustavus on this day and he pitched a good game. Wold kept the bullpen fresh for the Golden Gusties because they weren’t needed. Wold pitched all seven innings of the game, striking out one Piper per inning. Despite Hamline’s good offensive numbers they were unable to mount a comeback of their own. The Pipers lost the first game 5-3.

The second game was a different story for both teams as Piper starter Kyle Foster looked to turn the tables. The Pipers scored three runs on three hits in their first plate appearance. Gustie Kraig Olson started the game and lasted only three innings. He had control problems, evident by him having two wild pitches and a first inning beaning of Aaron Thompson, the first Piper to bat. Thompson got to second on a wild pitch and then scored on a single. Waller scored the next batter with a single and then got to third on another wild pitch. Waller came home on a sacrifice fly as Hamline helped Gustavus to beat themselves.

The game didn’t get any better for Gustavus. The Pipers would score five more runs before it was all said and done.

The Golden Gusties were miserable and didn’t score any runs in the game as Kyle Foster held them to six hits. The Pipers did a good job of getting hits when they needed them and capitalizing on Gustavus’ errors. Foster continues to be a stabilizing force for the Piper pitching staff. He is coming in games as a starter and a reliever. He’s doing everything the team needs and asks of him. He is mixing pitches and velocity very well to keep hitters off balance. He had four strikeouts but most importantly he didn’t let the game go.

The Pipers are an off-balance team right now. The offense leads the MIAC in homers and hits for average while the Piper pitching staff has a scary 5.40 ERA and has given up more hits than any other team in the MIAC (218). Also, the Pipers are having problems defensively. In spite of also having the worst fielding percentage of any other team in the conference, the Pipers are staying in the hunt for a playoff spot.

On April 11, the Pipers played another MIAC doubleheader at home. This time they welcomed the Knights of Carleton to St. Paul. Though Carleton finds themselves near Gustavus in the standings, they made it a competitive game for Hamline. Perhaps the game wasn’t competitive as it was sloppy. Carleton had two errors and Hamline had three. Jeff Roiger started the game for the Pipers. He was coming off a very impressive pitching performance the week before. This was a game that saw a lot of pitchers come and go. Both teams used three relievers in addition to their starters. Carleton scored right away by playing small ball to advance runs around the bases. They scored one run to take the lead in the first. Hamline’s at-bat started with a walk of lead off man Aaron Thompson. Thompson wasn’t at first for long. He advanced to second on an Andrew Bennett single. Thompson then stole third for his twelfth on the year. He’s only been caught once. Waller, who has an RBI in each of his last five games, would bring around Thompson.

Both teams continued to rally around errors and by the ninth inning the score was 7-7. Carleton was unable to score in the ninth so they gave way to the Hamline bats. The Hamline bats had help from the Carleton infield. Bennett got to first due to a throwing error by Carleton’s Jay Melson. Bennett got to second base thanks to the Owen Waller hit parade. Waller singled to center field. After one final pitching change by the Knights, Hamline’s Mike Goldsmith singled to hit a single into left field, scoring Bennett, the winning run. After nine innings, Hamline ended the first game with an 8-7 victory.

The second game of the doubleheader was nowhere near as close as the first. Hamline beat Carleton 18-3. The Pipers began scoring in the second. After Roiger hit a triple he took home on a wild pitch. It was the third inning that the Pipers really went to work on offense. Carleton couldn’t do anything right. The wild pitches continued and Hamline didn’t feel sorry for capitalizing on mistakes. On only four hits, the Pipers scored eight runs. They advanced runners by getting hits when they needed them. The Pipers scored seven more runs in the fifth and two more in the sixth. Carleton couldn’t have felt too good about themselves after taking a loss like that. Brain Martin got the win. It was a grand slam that Bennett hit in the third inning of MIAC play. Bennett went 4 for 4 in the game and had two homeruns. He has very good numbers offensively (30 hits, 27 RBI, three homeruns). Piper Robin Young also socked a dinger in the fifth.

The Pipers are now 5-3 in the MIAC conference and they are 15-9 overall. They are sitting in fourth place but not comfortably. There is not more than a one-win difference between the top five teams in the conference. Hamline takes on Bethel at Midway April 19 and then play at St. Olaf on April 22. Both series are doubleheaders. The Pipers need to polarize their defense and pitching staff, getting them to perform on the same level as the offense to stay in the playoff picture. If they can steal some games from St. John’s and Bethel and sweep St. Olaf (easier said than done), they could find themselves atop the MIAC in less than two weeks.