BY JOHN KIPPER, STAFF WRITER

Augsburg snapped their four-game losing streak by beating the Hamline Pipers 35-28 to retake “the Hammer,” a sledgehammer that serves as the trophy for the annual matchup between the Auggies and Pipers. The tradition of the Hammer began in the first year of Frank Haege’s tenure and, since then, has always resulted in spirited games between the two teams.

Senior running back Tiras Bolt jolted the offense to life, rushing for 124 yards on 24 carries, scoring three touchdowns on the ground in addition to scoring once on a pass reception. Nick Heenie also had a receiving touchdown. Despite a strong performance that saw the offense put up more than 20 points for the first time since Sept. 30, turnovers kept the game closer than it had to be with the Auggies having three giveaways.

Defensively, the Auggies did just enough to keep the win. The Auggies generated three turnovers, including an interception by Isaiah Malone late in the game to seal the victory, and they provided the offense with extra opportunities that would be capitalized upon. While giving up 494 total yards of offense, the defense came up big in the red zone. On third downs, Hamline scored only three out of the six times and limited the Pipers to a 50% conversion rate.

Out of playoff contention, the last game of the season will be against Bethel University on Nov. 4. A win there would result in the team going .500 on the year, and it would avenge last year’s loss to the Royals.

This article first appeared in the Friday, November 3, 2017, Edition of The Echo.