ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Carleton College baseball team looked to get the weekend series with Hamline University started off on the right foot. The Knights led heading into the bottom of the eighth but ended up absorbing their third consecutive walk-off loss, this one by a 3-2 tally.
 
Playing under the lights at CHS Field, the Knights (4-19, 2-19 MIAC) out-hit their hosts by a 10- 6 margin.
 
Carleton scored both of its runs in the third inning. Aaron Berkowitz (So./Leawood, Kan./Pembroke Hill School) and James Sassi (Jr./Stamford, Conn./Brunswick School) opened the frame with consecutive singles then moved up 90 feet on an error. A RBI groundout from Travis Brown (Sr./St. Michael, Minn./St. Michael-Albertville) was followed by a Jacob Small (Jr./Chappaqua, N.Y./Horace Greeley) sacrifice fly.
 
Carleton had many chances to add to its run total, as the Knights left 10 runners on base, eight of those in scoring position including runners at second and third in the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings.
 
Despite the struggles with runners in scoring position, it appeared that the two runs might be enough support for rookie Kiefer Lord (Fy./San Carlos, Calif./Menlo School), who kept the Pipers (11-21, 6-13 MIAC) in check most of the night. The righthander yielded only three hits over the first seven innings, but Hamline finally solved him in the bottom of the eighth.
 
Like Carleton in the third inning, the Pipers got runners to second and third with no one out. A RBI grounder and a sacrifice fly and the game was suddenly tied at 2-2.
 
In the bottom of the ninth, Hamline got a leadoff single to right field. Brown was unable to run down Collin Schuetz's drive that became a game-winning triple as the Pipers rallied for the 3-2 victory.
 
Lord absorbed the loss to fall to 1-4 as he permitted only six hits over 8.0+ innings.
 
UP NEXT FOR THE KNIGHTS
Carleton and Hamline will complete their weekend series with a doubleheader at Mel Taube Field on Sunday, May 9. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m.