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We're On Schedule: Well, mostly anyway. In a season of cancellations and postponements, tonight (Apr. 16) the Blazers play about as close to on schedule as possible. They were supposed to play the Hamline Pipers at 3:30 p.m. in St. Paul, but instead the two teams will play at Augsburg in Minneapolis. The Auggies play a 3 p.m. doubleheader of their own, with the Blazers and Pipers throwing the first pitch immediately after, likely around 7 p.m. The Blazers enter at 13-9 on the year, with a 2-4 MIAC record, while Hamline is 8-8 on the year with a 4-2 mark in conference play.
About Hamline: The Pipers have struggled to string wins together, winning back-to-back games just once since the first weekend of the season. On Apr. 6 however, they did sweep a doubleheader from Gustavus, winning 2-1 and 5-2 over a perennial MIAC contender. Since, they have split series' with St. Catherine and Macalester, coming off a 4-3 win over the Scots their last time out. Bethany Hine and Jamie Rubbelke lead the offense, batting .364 and .354 respectively. Hine, who also has a team leading 20 hits and 14 runs scored, was also an All-MIAC player last season. Hamline went 10-28 last season and placed eighth in the MIAC with a 9-13 conference record. In the 2013 preseason poll, they were picked seventh, one spot behind the Blazers.
Last Meeting: The two teams split last season in St. Joseph, with the Blazers winning game one 6-0, before the Pipers salvaged the tie with a 6-2 win in game two.
Rachel Nelson threw the complete game shutout, in the first game, allowing just four hits while striking out four.
Trisha Johnson took the loss in game two, allowing all six runs on 10 hits through 3.2 innings.
Lonnica Johnson and
Lexi Alm each finished with four hits on the day, collecting two in each game.
The Storyline: Can the Blazers bounce back for the second time in the young conference season? After dropping two games to Bethel in the league opener, they came back to trounce a hot Carleton team and get back to the .500 mark in MIAC play. Most recently, they fell twice to Saint Mary's, and could use another Carleton-like performance to get back in the thick of the MAIC race. Luckily, with only six games complete, the Blazers still have plenty of room to gain ground on the early leaders.
Who to Watch:
Mackenzie Wenner's five homeruns rank third in the MIAC, but are just one behind the two tied for the conference lead. On the base paths,
Lexi Alm's 12 stolen bases are third in the league, but she is the only one of the top three who has yet to be caught stealing. Not far behind, though, is
Kim Lidstone with 11, also yet to be caught. And in the circle
Emily Engelmeier is third in the MIAC in strikeouts, with 57, but right on her heels is teammate
Rachel Nelson win 56.
