University of St. Thomas Athletics
Hamline
Hamline sweep drops Baseball out of first place
4/22/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Andrew Bennett's two-out, three-run homer in the top of the seventh inning lifted Hamline to a 6-5 comeback victory over No. 13-ranked St. Thomas in game one of Tuesday's MIAC baseball doubleheader at UST's Koch Diamond.
The Pipers broke open a close game in the nightcap to win 4-0 and complete a rare sweep to knock the Tommies out of first place.
Hamline (18-11 overall, 7-3 MIAC) has won seven of its last eight games to vault back into the conference title race. The Pipers' lone conference baseball title came in 1962.
The Tommies (21-7, 10-2) allowed just three earned runs in 11 1-3 innings by starters Jake Kaemer and Lonnie Robinson but still lost both games.
The Toms were swept in an MIAC baseball doubleheader for the first time in six seasons covering 62 doubleheaders. It was the first time UST was swept at home in 10 years to the day -- April 22, 1998 vs. St. John's. St. Thomas had played 100 consecutive MIAC doubleheaders in baseball and softball without being swept. UST also had a 13-game conference win streak halted and an 11-game home field win streak end.
Hamline senior lefthander Josh Roiger pitched the final inning for the save in game one and threw a four-hit shutout in game two. Roiger is 4-1 vs. the Tommies over the last three seasons. He struck out four and didn't walk a batter despite going to a full count at least six times. Roiger was backed by two double-play grounders and a diving catch by first baseman Tres Humerickhouse that robbed Matt Pexa of a hit.
The Toms took a 3-1 lead on Dan Leslie's third-inning home run. UST took a 5-2 lead into the final inning, but two hits and a walk brought the go-ahead run to the plate with one out. After a strikeout for the second out, Bennett stepped in and drilled a pitch to left field onto Cretin Avenue for his seventh homer of the season.
UST left eight on base in game one and wasted a 3-for-4 batting line by Pexa. In the bottom of the seventh inning, Chris Bullis reached on an infield hit and stole second. But Roiger got a strikeout on a 3-2 count, and Bullis was called out at third base trying to steal to end UST's best threat to tie.
Kraemer pitched his second strong game in nine days but didn't get a decision. He worked 5 1-3 innings and allowed two runs, seven hits and no walks with four strikeouts.
Game two was scoreless through five innings. Robinson had a one-hit shutout into the sixth, but a one-out single by James McGee and Dan Kaczrowski's RBI triple put Hamline ahead 1-0. Zaczrowski later scored an unearned run when a pickoff relay to home plate was botched with two outs for 2-0 lead.
Hamline added two runs off two UST relievers in the last inning, as McGee drove in the final run with a double.
Robinson struck out eight and walked two while allowing one earned run over six innings in taking his first loss of the season.
St. Thomas plays two games Saturday at first-place Gustavus (10-1).
Game 1 box score:
http://www.tommiesports.com/bsbl/stats/4-22DH1.HTM
Game 2 box score:
http://www.tommiesports.com/bsbl/stats/4-22-DH2.HTM
Eli Adams photos:
Tom Wippler
Pitching change
Chris Bullis
