Pipers finish game, play rematch against Central in Arizona

The Pipers and the Dutch, finishing a game left incomplete on March 1 due to time limits in the Metrodome, moved outside and resumed play in the top of the seventh inning with one out and a Central runner on first.

The first Central batter lined out before a two-out double scored the runner who was still on first, bringing the score to 12-8 in favor of the Pipers. A Dutch single and an Piper error brought home one more Central run and put two runners on base. With the tying run at the plate, Ben Smith (Jr., Orono, Minn.) snagged a fly ball to end the game.

In the nine-inning game that followed, Hamline jumped out to a 3-0 lead after two innings. Dan Kaczrowski (Jr., St. Anthony, Minn.) drew a lead-off walk and then scored when Andrew Bennett (Sr., St. Paul, Minn.) hit a one-out single to left center. Bennett then stole third to set up a Smith sacrifice fly, scoring Hamline's second run of the opening inning.

Hamline added another run in the second inning Tony Rogers (Fy., Elk River, Minn.) singled, advanced to third on a single by James McGee (Jr., Fridley, Minn.) and then scored as McGee was picked off at second.

Central cut the lead to 3-1 in the third inning, and the Pipers brought the lead back up to three runs with a run from Lincoln Hughes (So., Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) after a series of singles.

The Dutch took over the lead, scoring a run at the bottom of the fifth and three runs in the sixth inning. A Hamline run in each of the seventh and eighth innings, followed a Central run in the bottom of the ninth left the score tied 6-6, and sent the two teams into extra innings.

In the top of the 10th, Bennett hit a lead-off homerun to center field to put the Pipers up, 7-6.

But in the bottom of the 10th, Central took advantage of a hit lead-off batter and two errors to score two runs on no hits, and take the 8-7 win.

With the win and loss, the Pipers are at 6-5 overall.