WAVERLY, Iowa-- The No. 15/20 Wartburg baseball team (31-9 overall, 24-4 IIAC) swept Coe (17-19, 12-16) 4-2 and 6-5 Saturday to clinch its 21st Iowa Conference Championship and third regular-season title in the last four years and 15th under head coach Joel Holst. The 24 IIAC wins set a new conference record as the previous mark was 23 set by Luther in 1985.

WARTBURG vs. COE HIGHLIGHTS


The Knights will be the top seed in the conference tournament next week and will play Thursday, May 12 at 7 p.m.

In the first game of the day, the Kohawks took the early 2-0 lead in the first before the Orange and Black answered with three in the second on a single from junior Mike Brown (Bettendorf), a perfectly executed bunt from senior Tyler Willis (Waverly) and a fielder's choice by sophomore Blake Mahoney (Des Moines).

This remained the score until junior Jake Thumann (DeWitt) hit a solo home run that cleared the trees, this time in left field, in the fifth for the final run. Defensively, a Coe baserunner did not advance past first after the first inning.

Thumann went 2-2 and junior Max Langheinrich pitched the complete game to earn the win.

In the series finale, the Kohawks again took the early lead in the second as they scored on a groundout. Wartburg again answered in the bottom of the frame as senior Ryan Kemp (Keokuk) hit a lead off home run to a similar spot as Thuman's in the opener, and back-to-back RBI singles from sophomore Cody Hyler (Des Moines) and Willis.

Coe tied the game on a sacrifice fly in the fifth until senior Milton Croes (Noord, Aruba) slugged a two-run triple to right field which plated the go-ahead runs. A double steal by Hyler and Willis gave the home team another run as Willis stole home to make it 6-3.

The Kohawks sliced the margin to one in the eighth on another sacrifice fly and RBI double. The next batter grounded out to third to end the rally.

Willis went 2-3 in the victory.

The Knights will face the winner of the game between the four and five seed Thursday night in Cedar Rapids.

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