ST. PAUL, Minn. — The secret to the Saint Mary's University baseball team's offensive success in its doubleheader against Hamline was simple — get the lead-off batter on base, and runs were sure to follow.
 
The Cardinals put the lead-off batter on base in four of the seven innings they batted — and scored all nine Game 1 runs in those four innings.
 
The end result … a convincing, 9-4 victory over the Pipers.
 
And that trend continued in Game 2, as Saint Mary's put the lead-off man on in four of the game's nine innings — and scored seven of its eight runs in those four frames — en route to a sweep-clinching 8-1 victory at CHS Field.
 
The Cardinals struck first in the opener, kicking off their first at-bat with back-to-back walks to Tyler O'Brien (Belle Plaine, Minn.) and Taylor Anderson (Waukesha, Wis.). After a pair of strikeouts, Andy Tepp (Stevens Point, Wis.) laced a double to right-center, scoring both O'Brien and Anderson — and giving Saint Mary's the early 2-0 lead.
 
The Pipers got to Cardinal starter James Green (East Bethel, Minn.) in the third, tagging the SMU senior for three runs on four hits to take a 3-2 lead.
 
A lead that did not last long.
 
Will Matthews (Geneva, Ill.) opened the Saint Mary's fourth with a double, and, after a Tepp walk, scored on Trevon VanEgtern's (La Crosse, Wis.) run-scoring double. Cameron Weber (Holmen, Wis.) added a sacrifice fly to center to score Tepp, and Joey Costello (Victoria, Minn.) plated SMU's third run of the inning on a perfectly executed squeeze bunt to put the Cardinals back in front, 5-3.
 
Saint Mary's pushed another run across in the fifth – once again taking advantage of a lead-off walk. With O'Brien on first via a four-pitch free pass, Anderson drilled a double down the right-field line, and one out later, O'Brien scored on a Matthews sacrifice fly.
 
Hamline trimmed the deficit to 6-4 with a solo run in the sixth, but that would be as close as the Pipers would get.
 
The Cardinals put the game out of reach, scoring three times in their final at-bat of the opener. SMU opened the frame with a Zach Drake (Westby, Wis.) double and a bunt single by O'Brien. O'Brien promptly stole second and the two both scored on Anderson's two-run triple to center. One out later, Matthews singled between third and short to plate Anderson with SMU's ninth and final run.
 
Saint Mary's scored its nine runs on nine hits — including two each from Anderson and Matthews. Matthews, Anderson, and Tepp all drove in two runs, while O'Brien scored three times and Anderson scored twice. Ryan Wolfe (Wabasha, Minn.) picked up the pitching win, allowing one run on one in 2 1/3 innings in relief of Green.
 
Saint Mary's once again got off to a quick start in the nightcap, scoring three times in the first inning — and it all started with a … lead-off walk to O'Brien. Justin Weinberg (Eagan, Minn.) would drive in one run with a single, Matthews delivered an RBI double, and Tepp plated the third run with a sacrifice fly.
 
The Cardinals capitalized on another inning-opening walk — this one to Drake to kick off the second — getting an RBI double off the bat of O'Brien to push their lead to 4-0.
 
Hamline answered SMU's solo run in the top of the second with one of its own in the bottom to whittle the lead to 4-1.
 
Saint Mary's tacked on an unearned run in the sixth — marking the only time all day that the Cardinals scored without putting the lead-off batter on — and scored three more in the ninth, two coming on RBI singles by Weinberg and Matthews, and the other on an HU fielding error, to ice the win.
 
With Luke Gilbertson (Windom, Minn.) on the mound, eight runs was more than enough, as the hard-throwing junior posted his second straight nine-inning complete game. Coming off a six-hit, complete-game shutout against Macalester on April 22, Gilbertson held the Pipers to just one run on three hits, striking out five and walking three.
 
Weinberg and Matthews spearheaded the Cardinals' 13-hit Game 2 offensive attack, collecting three hits each, while Cameron Weber (Holmen, Wis.) and Joey Costello (Victoria, Minn.) both chipped in two hits. 
 
The Cardinals (15-7 MIAC, 21-10 overall) are now off until next Thursday, when they play host to Bethel in a 2:30 p.m. conference doubleheader at Max Molock Field.