Nate Vollbrecht took the team lead in home runs and boosted the Blue Devil baseball squad to a doubleheader sweep of visiting Minnesota West Saturday afternoon at Riverland Community College in Austin.

Vollbrecht led off the bottom of the first inning of the first game with his third home run, helping ignite the Devil offense. Riverland racked up double-digit hits in each of two games, and a pair of prolific pitching performances put West away.

Riverland took the low-scoring opener, 4-1, and came alive for a 10-0, five-inning rout in the second game. The Blue Devils (7-9, 7-5) have won six of their last eight games and seven of 10. They play a pair at Minnesota West Monday in Worthington.

Mike Haugen and Clint Ripley each threw complete game three-hitters, with Haugen allowing Minnesota West's only run in the day's first at-bat. Haugen plunked Micah Frost, who scored on Eric Elgersma's two-out double in the top of the first.

That would be all the offense the Bluejays would get as Haugen and Ripley had it working for them. Haugen struck out nine, walked none and beaned a pair in his second victory of the season. Ripley upped his overall mark to 2-0 with a three-hit shutout over five innings, striking out four and walking two.

"Our pitching was strong all the way through," said Riverland coach Scott Koenigs. "Throwing strikes is what we've been harping on and the guys did a good job of working ahead on hitters.

"It's nice to get back on track. Monday hopefully we get both of those and get right back in there in the conference."

Haugen claimed to not have his best stuff despite arguably his strongest outing of the season.

"Pitching is doing what you can with what you have," he said. "Winners find a way to win."

Vollbrecht's home run in the bottom of the first brought the Devils into a 1-1 tie, and a pair of runs in the third made the difference. Todd Walerak reached with a leadoff single, moved to second when Haugen was plunked, and scored on Jeff Geisler's single. Derek Bonser added an RBI-single.

Vollbrecht plated Matt Dixon as Riverland's fourth and final run with a sacrifice fly in the fourth frame. The Devils stranded five runners on base and ran themselves out of scoring chances throughout, but Haugen and the defense made it stick.

"Just finishing out the games is big," Koenigs said. "This is a little bit of a confidence-builder after the two we dropped at Bethany. Today we closed it down without the drama."

Walerak, Geisler and Dixon each had two of Riverland's 10 hits.

10-run-rule

Ripley and the Riverland defense worked out of a couple jams and a slow start for Minnesota West hurler Nate Barclay paved the way to the 10-run-rule in the second game.

A line-drive double play got the Devils out of harm's way in the top of the first, and Barclay walked the first three batters in the bottom half. Haugen, the clean-up hitter, momentarily took the team lead in RBIs with a bases loaded, two-run single on the first pitch he saw.

Geisler followed with an RBI-single and Riverland reloaded the bases for designated hitter Adam Highum with two outs. His fly ball to deep left-center was tracked down for a circus catch by the Bluejays' center fielder, and the Devils left the bases loaded with a 3-0 lead.

Learning from a pair of last at-bat losses at Bethany Lutheran on Tuesday, Riverland added three more runs in the second. Jamie Morrison singled home Walerak and after Haugen's single gave Barclay the hook, Geisler plated a pair with a triple to deep center off reliever Dustin Hoff.

Ripley worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the third with some help from slick-fielding shortstop Vollbrecht. Ripley struck out the No. 9 hitter to start the inning, but the ball squirted away from Haugen. Vollbrecht booted an easy grounder from the leadoff hitter, but made a pair of tough plays sliding to his right to get force-outs with help from Walerak's glove-work at second base.

"It feels good with run support," Ripley said. "I had confidence in my fielders, I didn't really overpower them. My team had my back."

Ripley allowed only three singles and three Riverland errors proved to be inconsequential.

The Blue Devils scored three runs in the first, third and fourth innings, and a bases-loaded single by Morrison with no outs in the bottom of the fifth plated Curt Peterson as the game-ending run. Peterson was running for Highum, who took a leadoff walk to account for the final score. Vollbrecht and Walerak followed up with singles and Morrison stroked a hit through the middle on the first pitch from Hoff.

Morrison was 2-for-2 with three runs scored and two RBIs, tying Haugen with 17 runs driven in this season. Geisler ranks second (16) after four RBIs on Saturday, including three in the rain-soaked nightcap.

Ryan Wiechmann drove in his first two runs of the season with his two-out single in the bottom of the fourth, and Dixon followed it up with an RBI-double.

Walerak and Geisler again had two hits, along with Haugen and Vollbrecht. Geisler leads the Devils with a .467 batting average, ranking him third in the MCCC's South Division.

Call Ross Thede at 434-2234 or e-mail him at :mailto:sports@austindailyherald.com.

Box Scores:

Game One

MN WestRiverland

abrhbiabrhbi

Johnson ss3000Vollbrecht ss2112

Sandbulle 3b3000Walerak 2b3120

Frost rf2100Morrison lf3010

Elgersma lf3011Haugen p2110

Wsmnd 1b3000

Wchmnn cr0000

Jennings 2b3010Geisler cf3021

Heckman cf3000Bonser 1b3011

Winter c2010Peterson 3b3000

Coil p2000Dixon c2120

Hoff ph1000Ripley rf3000

Totals25131Totals244104

MN West1000000--130

Riverland102100x--4101

Team LOB--MNW 5, Riv 5. 2B--Elgersma, Jennings. HR--Vollbrecht (3). SF--Vollbrecht. SB--Dixon 2, Geisler. CS--Dixon, Walerak, Bonser.

IPHRERBBSO

Minnesota West

Coil, L6104413

Riverland

Haugen, W 2-2731109

PB--Winter, Dixon. HBP--Frost (by Haugen), Winter (by Haugen), Haugen (by Coil).

Game Two

MN WestRiverland

abrhbiabrhbi

Johnson ss3010Vollbrecht ss3120

Hoff p3010Walerak 2b3220

Elgersma lf3010Morrison lf2322

Wsmnd 1b2000Haugen c3122

Sandbulle 3b2000Geisler cf2123

Jennings 2b1000Bonser 1b3000

Frost cf2000Wiechmann rf2112

Winter c2000Dixon 3b3011

Heckman cr0000Highum dh2000

Landhuis rf2000

Peterson pr0100

Ripley p0000

Totals20030Totals2310129

MN West00000--030

Riverland33031--10123

Team LOB--MNW 7, Riv 8. DP--Riv 1. 2B--Vollbrecht, Walerak, Dixon. 3B--Geisler. SB--Morrison, Haugen.

IPHRERBBSO

Minnesota West

Barclay, L1 1/366631

Hoff2 2/374433

Riverland

Ripley, W 2-0530024

Barclay faced 4 batters in the third. Hoff faced 4 batters in the 5th. No outs when winning run scored.

WP--Barclay. HBP--Morrison (by Barclay).