ST. PAUL, Minn. – A complete game from fifth-year senior Hunter Barber and eight shutout innings from first year Jacob Fickenscher guided the St. Olaf College baseball team to 5-2 and 2-0 wins over Hamline University on Wednesday evening at CHS Field.

Barber went the distance in game one for St. Olaf (14-12, 8-6 MIAC), limiting Hamline (9-21, 3-11 MIAC) to two runs (one earned) on six hits with one walk and eight strikeouts, and the Oles scored five early runs in the 5-2 victory. Fickenscher tossed eight shutout innings in game two, allowing just five hits with no walks and a career-high-tying nine strikeouts, as St. Olaf completed the sweep despite being no-hit into the seventh inning.

After fifth-year senior Matthew Muller broke up Zach Branson's no-hit bid with one out in the eighth, first-year Evan Hammonds provided the eventual game-winning RBI single with two outs and a second run came around to score on a Hamline error on the play.

The Oles travel to Duluth to face the newest member of the MIAC – the College of St. Scholastica – on Saturday, April 30 starting at 1 p.m. before finishing off the regular season against the top-two teams in the conference standings – Bethel and Gustauvs – at home next week.

St. Olaf 5, Hamline 2 | Box Score

In the opener, St. Olaf and Hamline combined for five first-inning runs, as the Oles pushed across three in the top of the frame before the Pipers answered with two in the bottom of the inning. St. Olaf added a pair of runs in the third and Barber took care of the rest in earning his third victory of the season. The complete game was the eighth of Barber's career.

Sophomore Joey Glampe reached base in all four of his plate appearances for the Oles, going 3-for-3 with a walk, a double, two runs, and two RBI. First years Matthew Kulesa and Hammonds added run-scoring hits, with Hammonds' coming as part of a two-RBI game.

St. Olaf opened up a quick 3-0 lead with a three-run top of the first. After sophomore Sam Lavin and senior Andrew Nomoto got on base with one out, Glampe drove them both in with a double to left to start the scoring. Later in the inning, Hammonds was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and two outs to bring in the third run.

Hamline responded with two runs on three hits in the bottom of the inning, getting half of their six hits in the game in their first inning at the plate. The Oles got the two runs back in the top of the third when Kulesa doubled in Glampe, who started the winning with a walk and got to second on an error, and Hammonds singled in Kulesa with two outs in the frame.

The Pipers filled the bases with two outs in the final half inning before Hammonds tracked down a fly ball in center field to end the game.

St. Olaf 2, Hamline 0 | Box Score

Branson and Fickenscher put zeroes on the board for the first seven innings until St. Olaf finally broke through with two runs in the eighth. Branson retired 16 batters in a row before Muller's single ended his no-hit bid and suffered a hard-luck loss after yielding just two hits and two runs (one earned) in 7.2 innings with two walks and eight strikeouts.

Fickenscher scattered five hits and did not walk a batter in his eight shutout innings while matching his career-high nine strikeouts from his last start at Carleton a week ago. The first year's eight scoreless innings lowered his ERA to 2.29 on the season through 35.1 innings on the mound.

Hamline left runners at second base in both the fourth and fifth, which was as close as either team came to scoring until the eighth. With one away in the eighth, Muller lined a single to right to break up the no-hitter and first year Justin Isaacson drew a two-out walk to put two runners on base. Hammonds dumped a single into right field to plate Muller and Isaacson scampered home to score on an error for the lone two runs of the game.

Fickenscher pitched around a one-out double in the eighth, leaving the runner at third with his ninth strikeout of the game. The Pipers generated a scoring threat in the bottom of the ninth, putting two batters on base with one out on back-to-back hit batters. After entering the game with two on and one out, senior Jonah Smithson finished off the win, getting a strikeout and a foul pop up to third base on either side of a walk that filled the bases to earn his second save of the season.

Lavin extended his hitting streak to 16 games with a single to start the top of the ninth for St. Olaf.