STORM LAKE, Iowa-- The No. 10 Wartburg baseball team (21-2 overall, 11-1 IIAC) took the first doubleheader of the weekend series against No. 14 Buena Vista (14-5, 4-4) Friday. The Knights won the opener, 8-3 and took the nightcap 14-6.

In the first game, the Orange and Black broke out the bats in the second inning as they scored six runs on seven hits. Senior DJ Utley (Cedar Rapids) drove in the final two runs of the game with his two-run single to left field in the sixth.

BV plated one in their sixth and compiled a two-run rally in the seventh. The Beavers had runners on the corners with two outs and the next batter grounded out to end the rally.

Senior Jackson Litterer (Waverly) led the team at the plate as he went 3-4 and junior Parker Bolt (Reinbeck) pitched a complete game.

In the final game of the day, a similar story rang true as Wartburg was the first team on the board again. Litterer scored on Utley's RBI groundout in the first and the Knights scored five runs on four hits in the second which included a two-run single from junior Ryan Kemp (Keokuk).

Buena Vista scored two in the bottom of the second on a two-run homerun. The Knights added one in the fourth as senior Blake Wilson (Bettendorf) drove in Utley on his single. BV added two in the fourth and fifth innings to make the score 7-6.

Kemp hit a leadoff homerun in the sixth and then two batters later, sophomore Jake Thumann (DeWitt) slugged a two-run homer of his own to increase the Orange and Black's lead to 10-6. Wilson tallied the fourth run of the frame as he scored on a wild pitch to bring the score to 11-6.

Wartburg plated its final runs of the game with two in the seventh and one in the top of the ninth. The Beavers were retired in order in their last at-bats to seal the win for the Knights.

Utley and Wilson each went 4-6 and each scored three runs.

The two teams return to the field tomorrow for the final twinbill at 1 p.m.