NORTHFIELD, Minn. – Visiting Hamline University spoiled the St. Olaf College baseball team's home opener by sweeping the Oles by scores of 8-7 and 13-3 in seven innings on Tuesday at Mark Almli Field.

St. Olaf (6-9, 2-2 MIAC) used a five-run third inning to take a 5-2 lead in game one, but Hamline (6-15, 2-2 MIAC) scored five runs of its own in the fifth to take the lead and held on late to win the opener. In game two, the Pipers scored six times in the first inning before wrapping up the victory in run-rule fashion with a five-run seventh.

The Oles are back in action at home on Thursday, April 13 with a doubleheader against No. 25-ranked UW-La Crosse, with first pitch of game one at 2:30 p.m.

Hamline 8, St. Olaf 7 | Box Score

Sophomore Matthew Kulesa hit a three-run home run to cap St. Olaf's five-run third inning that gave the Oles a 5-2 lead. Hamline responded by hitting three home runs of its own in a five-run fifth to grab a 7-5 lead and held off the Oles the rest of the way.

Junior Brian Nevin was the lone Ole with multiple hits in the game, going 2-for-3 with a run scored, while classmate Sam Lavin reached base three times with a single, two walks, a stolen base, a run, and an RBI. Hadley also got on twice with a walk, a double, a run, and an RBI in three at bats.

The Pipers scored single runs in the second and third to get out to a 2-0 lead before the Oles' bats got going in the third. After a single and a walk to start the inning, Hadley doubled down the left-field line to score Sam Lavin and first year Frankl Lavin scored on a wild pitch in the next at bat to tie the game. With two on and two out, Kulesa drove a three-run shot over the fence in left-center field for his second home run of the season to put St. Olaf on top, 5-2.

Hamline got solo home runs from Braeden Bourne and Mac Enlow and a three-run shot from Gavin Renwick in the fifth to reclaim the lead. Enlow added a run-scoring single in the sixth to give the Pipers' an insurance run with a three-run lead.

St. Olaf generated a rally in the bottom of the sixth, however, starting the inning with singles by Nevin and sophomore Evan Hammonds. With two runners in scoring position, Sam Lavin hit a sacrifice fly to score Nevin and Frank Lavin followed with a run-scoring ground out to make it a one-run game, but Dalton Maxwell retired the next four batters to seal the win for Hamline.

Hamline 13, St. Olaf 3 (7 inn.) | Box Score

Hamline got out to a big early lead behind a six-run first inning and a two-run second inning. St. Olaf scored the next three runs to get within five in the middle innings, but the Pipers tallied five runs in the seventh to secure the run-rule victory.

Hammonds had three of St. Olaf's nine hits in the game, while Sam Lavin added two and drove in another run. Hadley hit his first collegiate home run in the loss.

In the first, Hamline scored six runs on just three hits, capitalizing on two walks, a wild pitch, a hit batter, and a balk in the frame. The Pipers tacked on two more runs in the second before not scoring again until the seventh.

After St. Olaf got on the board on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Sam Lavin in the third, the Oles scored twice in the fifth to make it an 8-3 game. Hadley led off the inning with a pinch-hit solo home run to right and, after Hammonds and Sam Lavin reached on singles, junior Joey Glampe dropped a single into center field to score Hammonds.

In his first-career pitching appearance, sophomore Justin Isaacson threw three shutout innings, allowing juts one hit and one walk with two strikeouts, to keep St. Olaf in the game before Hamline got its offense going again in the seventh to end the game early.