GAME 1 BOX | GAME 2 BOX

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Augsburg College baseball team clinched its second-ever berth in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference postseason playoffs, and its first berth since 2005, with a split of a doubleheader with Hamline University on Saturday afternoon at Parade Stadium.

Augsburg (19-20 overall, 12-8 MIAC) rallied to win the first game 2-1, but fell to Hamline (16-24 overall, 8-12 MIAC) 9-8 in nine innings in the second game.

Augsburg finished the regular season in a tie for fourth place with St. Olaf at 12-8 in league play after the Oles were swept by St. Thomas on Saturday, but the Auggies clinched the final spot in the four-team MIAC playoffs based on tiebreaker criteria.

As the No. 4 seed, the Auggies will open the MIAC playoffs on Friday (5/14) at 3:30 p.m. at Dundas (Minn.) Memorial Park, facing the conference's No. 1 seed, St. Thomas (29-6 overall, 15-5 MIAC).

With the baseball team clinching a conference postseason berth, it marks the first time in Augsburg history that four Auggie teams have clinched MIAC playoff berths in a single school year. Augsburg had three teams clinch MIAC postseason berths four previous times in school history. This school year, the Auggie volleyball, men's basketball and men's hockey teams joined the baseball team in clinching playoff berths.

Catcher Craig Henry (SR, Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial HS) went 5-for-8 at the plate with two doubles and three runs scored to lead the Auggies in the doubleheader, while Tim Gerding (SO, Robbinsdale, Minn./Cooper HS), Eric Olson (SR, New Prague, Minn.) and Jeff Butler (FY, Prior Lake, Minn.) had two hits apiece.

Henry closed the regular season as one of two Augsburg hitters to have a .400-plus batting average, as he finished at .409. Joe Pierce (SR, Eden Prairie, Minn.) finished the regular season with a .458 average.

For Hamline, Lincoln Hughes (SR, Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Hill-Murray HS) and Andy King (SO, Fort Myers, Fla./South HS) had five hits each in the doubleheader, with King stroking a double and triple and contributing four RBI and two runs scored.

The first game was an early pitchers' duel between Augsburg's Mark Heise (JR, Foley, Minn.) and Hamline's Michael Bland (SO, Minnetonka, Minn./Hopkins HS), though neither starter would figure in the decision. Heise struck out two while walking three and allowing seven hits in 5.2 innings of work, while Bland had one strikeout and walked seven with four hits in 5.1 innings.

The Pipers scored in the fourth inning, with a sacrifice fly by J.D. Modrynski (JR, Lakeville, Minn./Eastview HS) plating King. But the Auggies tied the game in the bottom of the fifth, as Tom Petersen (SO, Hugo, Minn./White Bear Lake HS) hit a two-out single to drive home pinch-runner Louie LaChapelle (FY, Eagan, Minn.).

John Demgen (JR, Minneapolis, Minn./South HS) got a leadoff walk in the bottom of the seventh inning, stole second and reached third on a fly out by Henry. The Pipers intentionally walked the bases loaded, and Olson stroked a single to left field to bring home Demgen with the game-winning run. Kristofer Ozga (JR, Hawthorn Woods, Ill./Stevenson HS) struck out two of the five batters he faced to claim the pitching win in relief.

The second game was a back-and-forth affair. Hamline scored three runs in the first inning, with the key hit a two-run triple by King, but Augsburg scored twice in the second frame, as Mason Holmquist (JR, Prior Lake, Minn.) and Gerding each stroked RBI singles. Augsburg tied the game in the third inning, but the Pipers went ahead with single runs in the fourth and fifth frames.

Augsburg scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to take a 7-5 lead, as Pierce hit a run-scoring single, Gerding hit a two-run single and Derek Williamson (SR, St. Francis, Minn.) drove in a run on a single. But the Pipers went ahead with three runs in the top of the seventh, with a sacrifice fly and a two-run double by King. Augsburg tied the game in the bottom of the seventh to force extra innings, with a run scoring on a double-play grounder.

In the ninth inning, King singled, stole second and scored on an RBI single by Hughes to give the Pipers the lead, and Augsburg was unable to tie the game in the bottom of the inning, despite loading the bases with one out, as the game ended on a first-home-first double-play.