The final outs of the 2018 Hamline baseball season were recorded, appropriately, on a double play ball. It was the sort of thing the Pipers were performing all night. HU turned six double plays in all and solid pitching held Carleton in check all night as the Pipers swept their final doubleheader of the season, 2-1 and 5-1, at CHS Field Sunday night. Hamline finished the season 17-20 overall, 9-1 in  MIAC play.

The Pipers turned three twin killings in each game. In the opener, Nolan Schoonveld was the main beneficiary of the Piper defense. The junior scattered nine hits but allowed only a fourth inning run. Zach Smith fanned two  batters in a 1-2-3 seventh inning to earn the save. 

Hamline played small ball to get the win. In the second inning, Nick Kukurich doubled with one out. The next two batters were hit by pitches to load the bases. After an out, Mitch Benson worked a walk for a run. An inning later, Jeremy Szura doubled to open the inning and eventually rode home on Nick Dujmovic's sacrifice fly. 

For their part, Schoonveld and Smith walked none and fanned seven Knights. The game took just 1:20 to play.

In the season finale, Smith got the start and worked the first four innings to earn the win. Schoonveld went 3-for-3 with Benson, Kukurich and Cullen Buck adding two hits apiece. The Pipers jumped to a 3-0 lead after two innings and then let their defense handle the rest. 

All in all, it was a happy finale for the team's eight seniors -- several of which finished strong. Benson, who had hits in 13 of the team's final 14 games, finished with the top batting average (.385). Szura led in doubles (10) and RBIs (21). Smith finished the top winner on the staff and led in saves with three. This group of seniors witnessed 83 victories in four seasons and were members of the 2016 team that had the second most wins in school history.