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DUNDAS, Minn. -- Jeff Butler (FY, Prior Lake, Minn.) hit his first collegiate home run, a bright spot for Augsburg College in a 17-1 loss to the University of St. Thomas in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference baseball playoff contest on Saturday afternoon at Dundas Memorial Park.

Augsburg (21-21 overall) will get another chance to face St. Thomas (32-7), the defending national champion and current No. 5-ranked team in the NCAA Division III national rankings, in the tournament final game on Sunday (5/16) at 1 p.m. in Dundas. The winner will claim the playoff title and earn the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III national playoffs.

Augsburg has reached the NCAA Division III national playoffs twice in school history, with back-to-back berths in the 1986 and 1987 seasons.

Butler hit his first collegiate home run, and fifth extra-base hit of the season, with one out in the eighth inning, the final run of the contest for either team.

St. Thomas rebounded from Friday's 3-2 loss to the Auggies with a 17-hit effort on Saturday, stroking five home runs -- including two each from Tom Wippler (SR, Sauk Rapids, Minn.) and Brady Field (JR, St. Paul, Minn./Hill-Murray HS). Matt Olson (SR, Ramsey, Minn./Anoka HS) and Field each hit two-run homers as part of a six-run first inning. Wippler hit a two-run homer in the second inning and a grand slam in the seventh inning, and Field hit his second two-run homer in the eighth inning.

After the first two Auggie pitchers were driven from the game in the first two innings, Augsburg reliever Eren Cur (FY, Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata HS) pitched the longest outing of his career, with one strikeout in 5.2 innings of work. Landon Olson (FY, Alexandria, Minn./Duluth Marshall HS) also had his longest effort in his young career, pitching the final two innings for the Auggies.

Bryce Gapinski (SO, Foley, Minn.) pitched eight innings for the Tommies in the win, striking out five while walking one and allowing six hits.

Nine different Tommies had hits in the game, with Wippler and Charles Bruchu (SO, Lake Elmo, Minn./Hill-Murray HS) getting three hits each. Eric Olson (SR, New Prague, Minn.) had two hits for the Auggies.