Gameday Game Recap

MOORHEAD, Minn. (5/6/06)-- The series lived up to the hype. Concordia and Hamline hooked up in the final doubleheader of the conference season in a series that would determine the fourth, and final, playoff participant. The Cobbers needed to sweep the Pipers in order to claim the fourth spot in the tournament, while the Pipers needed to just claim one win to come away with its first postseason berth in program history. When the dust had settled the two teams had played 14 innings of showcase college baseball that produced 25 runs and enough great plays to last an entire week. In the end, Hamline was able to come away with a 2-0 victory in the second game to earn its first trip to the postseason in school history.

The drama and pressure were heightened by a run-scoring festival in the first game where the Cobbers outlasted the Pipers 12-11 to set up the one-game showdown in the nightcap.

In the opener, both teams took turns countering with big innings and big plays to force the final game, playoff-style battle.

In the end it was ultimately the pitching prowess of sophomore pitcher Josh Roiger that helped Hamline secure the playoff bid. Roiger survived a bases-loaded scare in the first inning of the nightcap and went on to throw seven scoreless innings to pick up his team-leading seventh win of the season. He constantly kept Cobber hitters off guard by mixing up his arsenal of pitches to go along with his pinpoint control.

The second game held fans in their seats until the bitter end. After posting two quick outs in the bottom of the seventh in the second game, Cobber leadoff hitter Billy DeNet laid down another textbook bunt to keep the inning alive and bring up the tying run to the plate. Center fielder Ryan Emter singled in the next at-bat and brought Cobber slugger Chris Klabo to the plate with the possible game-winning run. After falling behind in the count early, Klabo was unable to produce any late-game heroics and grounded out to the second baseman. The final out triggered off a jubilant celebration by the Piper bench as they put the finishing touches on their fifth win in the past six games.

Concordia finishes its season with another 20-win campaign. The Cobbers end the year with a 20-17 record. It is the 12th 20-win season in the past 24 years and fourth in the past five seasons. Concordia ends conference play with an 11-9 mark, the eighth consecutive 10-plus conference win season.

Hamline moves on to the conference playoffs with a 13-7 league record and a 25-13 overall mark. The 25 overall wins is a new program record.

The first game started out like a drag race between two top fuel dragsters as both teams stepped on the pedal from the outset. Hamline scored a pair of runs in the first inning before the Cobbers passed them with four of their own in the bottom of the inning. The Pipers retook the lead in the top of the third inning on a three-run, four-hit frame that saw eight batters come to the plate.

Concordia once again hit the gas and tied the game with a single run in the bottom of the third. The Pipers passed the Cobbers in the top of the fourth with three more runs before Concordia overtook the Hamline dragster in the bottom of the frame with four runs sparked by a Brian Knoblauch leadoff home run.

The Cobbers appeared to finally put the Piper in their rear view mirror by scoring three insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to take a commanding 12-8 lead. The Pipers, and shortstop Andrew Bennett, had other ideas. After a leadoff walk, Bennett cranked his seocnd home run of the game to bring Hamline to within 12-10.

Bennett finished the game with an impressive seven RBIs after going 4-for-4.

Cobber starting pitcher Blake Trenbeath was then pulled in favor of Wednesday's hero Matt Ventrurini after giving up a single with one out in the inning. Venturini walked the only batter he faced and was replaced by Kevin Engebretson. Engebretson proceeded to walk the first batter he faced to load the bases with only one out. He got out of the jam by getting two outfield fly ball outs, the first of which brought home the runner from third to bring the final score to 12-11. For Engebretson, it was his first save of the season.

Three of the top four hitters in the Cobber lineup had two hits apiece. DeNet, batting in the leadoff spot, went 2-for-3, Klabo was 2-for-2 with three runs scored and two RBIs and Brian Schumacher went 2-for-3 with three RBIs.

In the second game, unlike the first, Concordia was unable to string hits together and come up with the clutch RBI. The turning point in the nightcap occurred in the very first inning. Trying to carry the momentum over from the first game, the Cobbers loaded the bases with only one out in the frame but were unable to score any runs. Roiger's ability to get out of the first-inning jam buoyed his team's spirits and allowed the Pipers to score the two game-deciding runs in the very next half inning.

The runs came on three hits and a clutch-two out single through the left side of the infield that barely eluded second baseman Erick Sykora's glove.

Cobber starter Adam Padrnos then shut the door on the high-powered Hamline offense but was unable to get any run support from the offense. Padrnos traded scoreless innings with Roiger for the final five innings as he scattered eight hits and struck out two in the game.

Roigeralso allowed eight hits. He struck out five and did not walk a batter in the win.

The top of the Cobber lineup once again did the damage in the second game. DeNet had three hits to bring his final season batting average to .418. He becomes the first Cobber starting player to hit above .400 since Derek Dormanen hit .440 in 2001. Ryan Emter had a pair of hits including the two-out single in the seventh inning. Klabo duplicated his game 1 hit total of two.

Hamline moves on to play No. 1-seeded St. Thomas in the first round of the MIAC Tournament on Friday, May 12 at 3:30pm at Dundas Memorial Park in Northfield, Minn.