Softball 4/26/06 -- Hamline 11-14, Augsburg 5-8

GAME 1 BOXSCORE
GAME 2 BOXSCORE


MINNEAPOLIS (4/26/06) -- Grace Weinreich (Fr., Isle, Minn.) went 3-for-4 and drove in four runs, hitting a three-run home run in the fifth inning of the first game, while Theresa Boleen (Fr., White Bear Lake, Minn./Stillwater HS) struck out 10 in 14 innings of pitching to claim both victories, as Hamline University swept Augsburg College in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference softball doubleheader on Wednesday evening at Augsburg's Edor Nelson Field.

Hamline won the first game 11-5 and the second game 14-8 to improve to 17-19 overall, 7-13 in MIAC play. Augsburg dropped to 13-21 overall, 6-12 in MIAC play.

Augsburg rallied from a first-game, 4-0 deficit to take a 5-4 lead after four innings of the first game, but the Pipers sent eight batters to the plate and scored five runs in the fifth inning -- all coming across with two outs. The big blow of the frame was Weinreich's fourth home run of the season, a three-run shot to center field. Two more insurance runs came across in the sixth inning for the Pipers.

Augsburg committed six errors in the first game, leading to seven unearned runs against starting pitcher Shelley Harris (Sr., Minneapolis, Minn./Southwest HS). Augsburg also collected 11 hits in the first game, but stranded 11 runners on base -- leaving the bases loaded in the second inning and two runners on base in the first, third, fifth and sixth innings.

In addition to Weinreich's 3-for-4 performance, Sara Mickelson (So., West St. Paul, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall HS) went 2-for-3 with three RBI, and Lindsey Lingl (So., Forest Lake, Minn.) went 2-for-4 with an RBI.

Augsburg's Jacci Mattern (Fr., Lakeville, Minn.) and Kati Tweeten (Jr., Spring Grove, Minn.) each went 3-for-4 with a run scored and RBI, with Mattern contributing a triple. Ashley Westerman (So., Bemidji, Minn.) had two doubles in the first game, and Audra Thimmesch-Gill (Sr., St. Paul, Minn./Central HS) had two hits.

Boleen struck out six while walking five in the first game, then struck out four while walking two in the second game. She helped her own cause in the second game by going 2-for-4 at the plate with two RBI and a run scored.

In the second contest, Hamline jumped out to a 7-0 lead, sending 13 batters to the plate in the first inning and scoring its runs on just two hits, taking advantage of two errors, three walks and two hit batters.

Augsburg cut the lead to two runs over the next four innings, taking advantage of two triples by Tiffany Magnuson (Fr., Green Bay, Wis./Notre Dame Academy HS) which drove in three runs, and Mattern's second triple of the evening to drive in another run. Sarah Green (Fr., Winnebago, Minn./Blue Earth Area HS) and Westerman also had doubles for the Auggies.

Hamline expanded the lead to three runs in the fifth inning at 9-6, on an RBI single by Lingl, then scored five runs in the seventh to secure the win, sending nine batters to the plate. RBI singles by Mickelson, Weinreich and Holly Wiborg (Jr., Chaska, Minn.) were the key hits of the frame.

Wiborg, Boleen, Lingl, Mickelson and Jourdan Ulrich (Fr., Apple Valley, Minn.) had two hits apiece for the Pipers in the second game, with Mickelson contributing a double and scoring three runs. Weinreich, Boleen and Sarah Dittberner (Fr., Forest Lake, Minn.) scored two runs each.

Magnuson went 3-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored in the second game, while Mattern went 23-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. Lisa Uehling (Jr., Rochester, Minn./Mayo HS) also had two hits and an RBI.

Augsburg has a rescheduled MIAC doubleheader with Carleton on Thursday (4/27) at 5 p.m. at Edor Nelson Field, the final home games of the season for the Auggies. Both teams have doubleheaders on Saturday (4/29) at 1 p.m., with Augsburg playing at St. Olaf and Hamline hosting Concordia-Moorhead.