Baseball 2/28/01 -- Dubuque 4-4, Augsburg 3-5 

Boxscore Game 1
Boxscore Game 2 

MINNEAPOLIS (2/28/01) -- Mike Schwalen (Sr., Minneapolis, Minn./Richfield HS) had three hits and four RBI in two games for Augsburg College and Scott Rima (Sr., Oelwein, Iowa) went five for six at the plate and scored three runs for the University of Dubuque, as the Auggies and Spartans scored a split in a nonconference baseball doubleheader Wednesday night at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome.

Dubuque won the first contest 4-3 in eight innings, while the Auggies notched a 5-4 win in the second game, shortened to five innings because of time constraints at the Metrodome. The doubleheader was the first contests for both teams this season, and marked the earliest season start ever for Augsburg baseball.

The Auggies rallied from a 4-2 first-inning deficit in the second game on the bat of Schwalen, a senior co-captain. He drove in the Auggies' third run of the game on a single in the second inning, and notched the game-winning hit in the fourth, driving in two runs on a single to right field. He also stole two bases and scored a run. Schwalen also drove in a run in the first contest, giving him three hits in seven at-bats and four RBI.

Dubuque rallied to take the first game in extra innings. The Spartans took a 3-2 lead in the fifth inning, as Mike Czarnecki (Sr., New Berlin, Wis.) drove in a run on a one-out double, and Chuck Christopher (Sr., Decorah, Iowa), who also had a double, scored on a passed ball.

After Augsburg tied the game in the seventh on Schwalen's run-scoring single, the Spartans claimed victory when Dave May (Sr., Dubuque, Iowa) drove in Rima with an unearned run, after Rima had moved to second on a passed ball.

Rima, who moved from left field to a relief pitcher role in the seventh inning, scored the first-game win, striking out two. Andy Dunkin (So., Bussey, Iowa) started the game for the Spartans and struck out five in five-plus innings of work.

Ryan Krautkremer (Jr., Waseca, Minn.) took the loss for the Auggies. Nick Rathmann (So., Waseca, Minn.), pitching in relief of Auggie starter Matt Topp (Jr., South St. Paul, Minn.), struck out five in two innings of work.

The second-game win went to Nic Shelby (Sr., Minneapolis, Minn./Holy Angels HS), who pitched two innings of relief of Auggie starter Chris Zweber (Sr., Faribault, Minn./Bethlehem Academy HS). Brad Van Gundy (Jr., Raymond, Iowa) took the pitching loss in the second game for Dubuque.

Rich Storholm (Sr., Minneapolis, Minn./St. Louis Park HS) had a triple and two hits for the Auggies, while Dave Sherry (Jr., Hastings, Minn.) and Sammy Gross (So., Springfield, Minn.) had two hits apiece.

May had four hits in eight at-bats, including a double, to lead Dubuque, while Brett Firzlaff (Jr., Dubuque, Iowa) had two this in the second game. Rima and Czarnecki added triples in the second game for the Spartans.

Augsburg returns to action with a nonconference doubleheader against Minnesota-Duluth on Saturday (3/3) at 10 p.m. at the Metrodome.