GAME 1 BOX | GAME 2 BOX

MINNEAPOLIS -- Craig Henry (SR, Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial HS) went 6-for-9 at the plate with four runs scored and three RBI, as Augsburg College scored a doubleheader split with St. Olaf College in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference baseball twinbill on Sunday afternoon at Parade Stadium.

Augsburg (16-19 overall, 9-7 MIAC) won the first game 15-14 in eight innings, and St. Olaf (20-16 overall, 10-6 MIAC) won the second game 14-9.

Augsburg's Joe Pierce (SR, Eden Prairie, Minn.) extended his consecutive-game hitting streak to 32 straight games with a 2-for-3 effort in the first game, but his streak was snapped in the second game with an 0-for-3 effort.

Pierce's streak, which was the longest in NCAA Division III baseball for several weeks, is now the second-longest this season in the division, behind an active 35-game streak by Kyle Standridge of Rockford (Ill.). Pierce's streak is the 16th-longest in Division III history. The longest streak was a 60-game streak by Damian Costantino of Salve Regina (R.I.) from 2001-03.

In addition to Pierce's and Standrige's streaks, there have been seven other 20-plus-game hitting streaks this season in Division III baseball --  a 27-game streak by Adam Komorowski of Sewanne (Tenn.), a 27-game streak by Sean Claugherty of St. Scholastica (Minn.), a 26-game streak by Mike Galeotiafiore of The College of New Jersey, a 25-game streak by Greg Ferrell of Mount Union (Ohio), 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.).

Andy Bartz (SO, Edina, Minn.) went 7-for-8 at the plate for St. Olaf with six runs scored, two doubles and two RBI in the doubleheader. Two Oles had four hits in the doubleheader, with each scoring three runs -- Matt Kieffer (JR, Beaver Dam, Wis.) and Tyler Jones (SR, Farmington, Minn.).

In addition to Henry's six hits, Eric Olson (SR, New Prague, Minn.) had four hits and an RBI for the Auggies in the doubleheader, and John Demgen (JR, Minneapolis, Minn./South HS) drove in five runs on a 3-for-7 effort with three runs scored.

The first game was a wild, back-and-forth affair, as the teams combined for 32 hits -- 17 for Augsburg, 15 for St. Olaf -- while 12 pitchers saw action in the game -- seven for St. Olaf, five for Augsburg.

After St. Olaf scored three runs in the first inning, Augsburg took the lead with a four-run bottom of the frame, capped by a two-run homer to left by Pierce, his third round-tripper of the season. The teams traded leads over the next several innings, with the Oles' Brady Sand (FY, Eau Claire, Wis./Memorial HS) hitting a solo homer in the second frame, and Donald Blunt (JR, Richfield, Minn.) hitting a two-run shot to left in the fourth inning for the Auggies.

Trailing 10-7 entering the sixth inning, the Oles took the lead with a six-run frame, sending nine batters to the plate and taking advantage of four hits and an error. But the Auggies tied the game with a run in the sixth and two runs in the seventh -- on an RBI single by Pierce and a sacrifice fly by Blunt -- to tie the game at 13-13.

In the eighth, St. Olaf took the lead on a sacrifice fly by Carson Jones (SR, Farmington, Minn.). But Augsburg got the win in the bottom of the eighth. Tim Gerding (SO, Robbinsdale, Minn./Cooper HS) singled and scored on a double by Henry, and Henry scored the game-winning run on a two-out, RBI single by Bobby Monsour (SO, Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Roseville HS).

In the second game, St. Olaf built a 9-0 lead in the third inning, but the Auggies rallied back to keep the game close in the latter innings. St. Olaf took advantage of six Augsburg errors, as 10 of the 14 runs scored by the Oles were unearned. St. Olaf also committed five errors, as just four of the nine Auggie runs scored were earned.

Leading 3-0 entering the third inning, the Oles sent 10 batters to the plate and scored six runs on five hits, including a two-run single by Sean Dube (JR, Hastings, Minn.) and a run-scoring double by Bartz. Augsburg scored four runs in the bottom of the third innings, with three of the runs unearned after three Ole errors.

A two-run single by Demgen in the fourth inning cut into the lead, but the Oles matched the Auggie output with two runs in the fifth. The Auggies scored twice in the sixth, with the Oles scoring twice in the seventh, and Augsburg closed the game with a run in the seventh.

Both teams return to MIAC play on Wednesday (5/5) at 2:30 p.m. with home doubleheaders, as Augsburg hosts Gustavus and St. Olaf hosts Macalester.

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NCAA DIVISION III LONGEST CONSECUTIVE-GAME HITTING STREAKS -- ALL-TIME
60 -- Damian Costantino, Salve Regina (R.I.), 2001-03
46 -- Corey Breyne, Aurora (Ill.), 1996-98
42 -- Jason Armstrong, Trinity (Texas), 2004
41 -- Tony DeLude, Delaware Valley (Pa.), 2000-02
40 -- Brian Kolb, Wheaton (Ill.), 2008-09
40 -- Jose Fulgencio, New Jersey City, 2007-08
40 -- Steve Smith, Bridgewater State (Mass.), 2005-06
38 -- Alex Weber-Shapiro, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (Calif.), 2007-08
37 -- Brad O'Connell, Wisconsin-Stout, 2000-01
36 -- Jay Quintana, Mary Washington (Va.), 2003-04
35 -- Kyle Standridge, Rockford (Ill.), 2010
34 -- Brian Dolewski, Aurora (Ill.), 2002-03
34 -- Dan Rieck, Simpson (Iowa), 2004
33 -- Kyle Edlhuber, Wisconsin Lutheran, 2009
33 -- Chuck Arena, Coast Guard Academy (N.Y.), 2005-07
32 -- Joe Pierce *, Augsburg (Minn.), 2010
32 -- Steve Milo, Johns Hopkins (Md.), 1998-99

(List compiled by Ira Thor, New Jersey City University SID)