GAME 1 BOX | GAME 2 BOX

MINNEAPOLIS -- Donald Blunt (JR, Richfield, Minn.) doubled and scored on a single by John Demgen (JR, Minneapolis, Minn./South HS) in the bottom of the seventh inning to give Augsburg College the win in the second game, as the Auggies split a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference baseball doubleheader with the University of St. Thomas on Wednesday afternoon at Parade Stadium.

Augsburg (14-16 overall, 7-5 MIAC) won the second game 1-0 over St. Thomas (21-5 overall, 8-4 MIAC), the No. 3-ranked team nationally in both NCAA Division III national polls -- the D3baseball.com poll and the American Baseball Coaches Association/Collegiate Baseball magazine poll. St. Thomas claimed a 7-6 win in the first game.

With base hits in both games, Augsburg first-baseman Joe Pierce (SR, Eden Prairie, Minn.) extended his consecutive-game hitting streak to 28 straight games, now the longest active and overall streak of any hitter in NCAA Division III baseball this season. Pierce led off the second inning of the first game with a single, and had a single in the fourth inning of the second game.

Pierce has now hit safely in 29 of Augsburg's 30 games this season, and he passed a 27-game streak from earlier this season by Adam Komorowski of Sewanee (Tenn.) to move into sole possession of the longest consecutive-game hitting streak in Division III baseball this season.

In addition to Pierce's and Komorowski's streaks, there have been seven other 20-plus-game hitting streaks this season in Division III baseball -- an active 26-game streak by Kyle Standridge of Rockford (Ill.), a 26-game streak by Mike Galeotiafiore of The College of New Jersey, a 25-game streak by Greg Ferrell of Mount Union (Ohio), an active 23-game streak by Sean Claugherty of St. Scholastica (Minn.), a 23-game streak by Nolan Fadness of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, a 22-game streak by Josh Frederick of Mary Hardin-Baylor (Texas), and a 20-game streak by Eric McCloud of Olivet (Mich.).

Pierce will extend his streak to 29 games on Friday (4/23) at 12 p.m., when the Auggies resume the second game of a doubleheader against Wisconsin-La Crosse at the University of Minnesota's Seibert Field -- a game that was halted due to time constraints at the Metrodome on March 28. Pierce was 2-for-4 with an RBI when the game was halted after six innings with Wisconsin-La Crosse leading 9-6.

Augsburg's cleanup hitter, Pierce currently leads the team in all three hitting percentages -- a .459 batting average, .643 slugging percentage and .505 on-base percentage -- while also leading the team in hits (45), extra-base hits (11) and RBI (32). He has struck out just five times in 109 plate appearances this season. At first base, Pierce also leads Augsburg's regulars in fielding percentage at .995 (one error in 202 defensive chances).

The second game of Wednesday's doubleheader was a scoreless battle between St. Thomas pitcher Kris Edwards (JR, Edina, Minn.) and Augsburg starter Mark Heise (JR, Foley, Minn.). Edwards pitched the entire game for the Tommies, striking out four while walking two and allowing just six Augsburg hits.

Meanwhile, Augsburg's Heise threw 4.2 innings of shutout action, striking out one while walking two before being relieved by Alex Glasenapp (SR, Minneapolis, Minn./South HS) in the fifth inning. Glasenapp was able to rescue the Auggies from jams in each of his three innings of work -- getting a flyout with the bases loaded to end the fifth inning, getting a flyout to end the sixth inning with runners at first and third, and getting a groundout to end the seventh inning with runners again at the corners.

Blunt, who had three hits and an RBI in the doubleheader, led off the seventh inning with a long drive to left field for his third double of the season. A sacrifice bunt by Mason Holmquist (JR, Prior Lake, Minn.) moved Blunt to third, and after two batters were intentionally walked to put a force on at each base, Demgen hit a chopper to right field over a drawn-in infield to bring home Blunt with the game-winning run.

The first game was a back-and-forth battle. St. Thomas got singles from its first four hitters of the game, and combined with a sacrifice fly, plated three runs to open the doubleheader. But Augsburg tied the game in the bottom of the second inning, taking advantage of three hits, including an RBI single by Blunt, and a two-error play on a dropped fly ball that produced two unearned runs.

Augsburg took a 4-3 lead with a run in the fourth inning, as Tim Gerding (SO, Robbinsdale, Minn./Cooper HS) doubled to drive home Eric Olson (SR, New Prague, Minn.). But St. Thomas scored four runs in the fifth inning to take the lead for good. A two-run double by Tayler Rahm (JR, Savage, Minn./Holy Angels HS), a run-scoring single by Drew Cremisino (JR, Forest Lake, Minn.) and a sacrifice fly by Charles Bruchu (FY, Lake Elmo, Minn./Hill-Murray HS) accounted for the Tommie runs.

Augsburg scored twice in the sixth inning, with an RBI single by Demgen and a bases-loaded walk, but the Auggies left the bases loaded against Tommie reliever Brandon Stone (SR, Roseville, Minn.) and stranded two runners on base in the bottom of the seventh.

St. Thomas starter Matt Schuld (SR, Plymouth, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong HS) struck out nine in 5.1 innings of work to claim the win, with Stone striking out one in 1.2 innings to get the save. Marshall Nelson (JR, Albertville, Minn./West Lutheran HS) took the loss with 4.0 innings of work, with Kristofer Ozga (JR, Hawthorn Woods, Ill./Stevenson HS) and Bryant Nordby (JR, Brownton, Minn./McLeod West HS) pitching in relief.

After Augsburg's resumed game on Friday, the Auggies will return to MIAC play on Saturday (4/24) at 1 p.m. with a doubleheader at St. John's. St. Thomas returns to action next Tuesday (4/27) at 2:30 p.m., with a doubleheader at St. Mary's.