GAME 1 BOX
GAME 2 BOX

MINNEAPOLIS (4/5/03) -- Kristen Lideen (Jr., Champlin, Minn./Champlin Park HS) went 6-for-8 at the plate with four doubles in the doubleheader, but her Augsburg College softball team could not get the best of league-leader Hamline University, as the Pipers claimed a doubleheader sweep of the Auggies in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference softball doubleheader Saturday afternoon at Edor Nelson Field.

Hamline won the first game 6-4 and the second game 8-7 in 10 innings to improve to 14-1 overall, 4-0 in MIAC play. The games were originally scheduled to be played at Hamline, but wintry weather moved the doubleheader to the air-supported dome over Augsburg's Edor Nelson Field. Augsburg saw its losing streak extended to seven straight games in falling to 3-15 overall and 0-4 in MIAC play.

Lideen had two doubles in three at-bats in the first game, scoring twice and driving in a run. She went 4-for-5 in the second game, scoring once and driving in a run with two doubles.

Despite being outhit by Augsburg in each game, two big innings spelled the difference for the Pipers in the doubleheader sweep.

In the first game, Hamline nine batters to the plate and scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to take a 6-1 lead. A double-steal, two fielder's choice RBIs and an RBI single by Rachael Young (Fr., Buffalo, Minn.) gave the Pipers four runs on just two hits.

The Pipers then withstood a three-run seventh inning from Augsburg -- keyed by consecutive run-scoring doubles by Lideen and Sam Kronschnabel (Sr., St. Paul, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall HS) -- as the Auggies stranded the game-tying runs on base against Hamline relief pitcher Beth Bisciglia (Jr., West St. Paul, Minn./Henry Sibley HS), who picked up the save.

In the second game, both teams battled to a 5-5 tie after seven innings. In the 10th inning, the first in which the "international tiebreaker" (placing the last out of the previous inning on second base) is used, Augsburg jumped on the Pipers right away, as Christine Matthews (So., Robbinsdale, Minn./Cooper HS) stroked an inside-the-park, two-run home run down the left-field line.

But Hamline manufactured three runs in the bottom of the inning to claim the win. After Amanda Gage (So., Forest Lake, Minn.) opened the inning with a single, a suicide-squeeze sacrifice bunt by Marion Zillhardt (Jr., Andover, Minn./Anoka HS) brought home Emily Deuth (Sr., Northfield, Minn.). An infield single by Lindsay Miller (Jr., Forest Lake, Minn.) brought home Gage, and Julia Rossini (Jr., White Bear Lake, Minn.) ended the game with a single to center field to bring home Miller.

In the first game, Chris Hodroff (So., Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata HS) picked up the pitching victory for Hamline, striking out five while walking five and allowing seven hits. Cassie Hoss (Fr., Brooklyn Park, Minn./Champlin Park HS) took the loss for Augsburg despite her best performance of the season, striking out three and allowing just four hits in a complete-game effort.

In the second game, Niki Seal (So., Bloomington, Minn./Kennedy HS) started for Hamline and struck out three in three innings of work. Shelley Harris (Fr., Minneapolis, Minn./Southwest HS) pitched a complete-game effort for Augsburg, striking out one while allowing one walk and 11 hits.

Both teams return to MIAC action with doubleheaders on Tuesday (4/8) at 4 p.m., with Augsburg playing at Concordia-Moorhead and Hamline playing at Macalester.