GAME 1 BOX | GAME 2 BOX

MINNEAPOLIS -- Joe Pierce (SR, Eden Prairie, Minn.) extended his consecutive-game hitting streak to 22 straight games on Saturday afternoon, but his Augsburg College baseball team dropped a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader to visiting Concordia College-Moorhead at Parade Stadium.

Concordia (13-7 overall, 4-0 MIAC) won the first game 6-4, then topped Augsburg (11-13 overall, 4-2 MIAC) 2-1 in the second game.

With the win in the first game, Concordia head coach Bucky Burgau became the 32nd coach in the history of NCAA Division III baseball, and the 20th active coach, to reach the 600-victory plateau. In his 32nd season at Concordia, Burgau is now 601-470-6 in his career. Now with 365 wins in MIAC play, he also has the most wins in conference baseball history.

Pierce extended his consecutive-game streak to 22 straight games with a 1-for-2 effort in the first game and a 2-for-3 effort in the second game. Pierce has now hit safely in 23 of Augsburg's 24 games this season, and his 22-game hitting streak now stands as the second-longest active streak in NCAA Division III baseball, behind the 27-game streak of Adam Komorowski of Sewanee (Ga.). A 25-game streak by Greg Ferrell of Mount Union (Ohio) was broken in a doubleheader on Saturday. Pierce's streak is currently the fourth-longest this season in Division III baseball, behind Komorowski, a 26-game streak earlier this year by Mike Galeotiafiore of The College of New Jersey, and Ferrell.

Pierce is now hitting .456 on the season, including a .671 slugging percentage and .483 on-base percentage. His 36 hits, 25 RBI and 10 extra-base hits (five doubles, three triples, two home runs) are all team-highs.

Pierce, Jeff Butler (FY, Prior Lake, Minn.) and John Demgen (JR, Minneapolis, Minn./South HS) each had three hits in the doubleheader, with Butler stroking a triple in the first game and Pierce hitting a triple in the second game.

In the opening game, Concordia took the early lead, scoring twice in the first inning and once in the second inning. Dan Wackler (JR, Buffalo, Minn.) doubled to lead off the game and scored on a throwing error while Nick Lewis (SR, Fergus Falls, Minn.) plated Michael Carlson (JR, Sartell, Minn.) on a single in the first inning. Lucas Genereux (SR, Thief River Falls, Minn.) doubled and scored on a Wackler single in the second frame.

But Augsburg rallied to tie the game in the fourth with three runs, as Butler tripled and scored on a single by Demgen, and after Demgen scored following a fielding error, another run came across on a sacrifice fly by Pierce. Concordia took the lead on a run-scoring groundout in the fifth, but Augsburg tied the game again in the bottom of the sixth, as Pierce singled home a run.

However, the biggest blow of the game came in the top of the seventh, as Adam Johnson (SR, Pelican Rapids, Minn.) hit a two-out, two-run home run to left-center to give the Cobbers the lead to stay. Pitching in relief of starter Chris Fellows (SR, Orotonville, Minn.), Johnson earned the pitching win with two innings of scoreless relief. Fellows struck out four in five innings of work.

Kristofer Ozga (JR, Hawthorn Woods, Ill./Stevenson HS) struck out five while walking five in 5.2 innings of work for Augsburg, with Jarron Farah (SO, Minneapolis, Minn./St. Anthony Village HS) and Craig Lynch (FY, Blaine, Minn./Centennial HS) pitching in relief.

The second game proved to be a pitching duel between Augsburg's Alex Glasenapp (SR, Minneapolis, Minn./South HS) and Concordia's Eddie Massee (SR, Appleton, Minn./Lac Qui Parle Valley HS). Each pitching six innings, Glasenapp struck out six while allowing three, and Massee struck out two while walking four.

Wackler scored both Cobber runs, scoring on a single by Lewis in the first inning and scoring on a first-and-third play in the third inning, coming home when the Auggies got the runner from first out on a pickoff. Augsburg scored its lone run in the sixth, as Pierce tripled and scored on a groundout by Eric Olson (SR, New Prague, Minn.).

Both teams return to MIAC play on Tuesday (4/13) at 2:30 p.m., as Augsburg plays at Carleton and Concordia plays at St. John's.