WAVERLY, Iowa-- The No. 19/21 Wartburg baseball team (26-8 overall, 19-3 overall) swept Loras (12-20, 6-16) Friday. The Knights won the opener in a walkoff 4-3 and the nightcap, 11-6.

BASEBALL vs. LORAS HIGHLIGHTS


In the opener, the Orange and Black were the first team on the board in the second inning as senior Ryan Kemp (Keokuk) scored on Mike Brown's (Bettendorf) double down the right field line. The Duhawks took the 2-1 lead in the fifth and Wartburg regained the 3-2 lead in the sixth. Sophomore Clay Henning (Plymouth, Wis.) scored on Kemp's double to right field. Kemp then scored on the next batter, senior Tanner Johnson (Oak Creek, Wis.) single to left field.

Loras knotted the score once more in the top of the seventh on a fielding error. Brown hit a leadoff double to left field and moved to third on senior Tyler Willis' (Waverly) single, sophomore Blake Mahoney (Des Moines) grounded out, junior Jake Thumann (DeWitt) was intentially walked and Hovick hit into a fielder's choice which brought home Brown for the walkoff win.

Johnson and Brown both went 2-3 and junior Taylor Gilson (Oelwein) pitched the complete game to earn the win.

In the nightcap, the Duhawks jumped to an early 3-0 lead on a three-run home run in the first inning. The Knights sliced the margin to one as Henning and Hovick scored on Thumann's double to right field who later scored on Johnson's double down the right field line to even the score at three all.

The Orange and Black added to their lead with two runs in the fourth, one in the fifth and three in the sixth which made the score 9-3. Loras plated three in the eighth on four hits which brought the score to 9-6.

Thumann helped Wartburg tally its final runs of the day with his two-run homer in the eighth.

Kemp went 3-5 and Thumann went 2-4 with two runs scored and four RBIs.

The two teams will complete the weekend series Sunday at 1 p.m.