WAVERLY, Iowa-- The Wartburg baseball team (14-7 overall, 5-2 IIAC) dropped the doubleheader of the conference series with Loras Saturday. The Duhawks won the opener 4-3 in 11 innings, and won the second game by the same score.
The Knights took the 1-0 lead in the first as senior Zach Hovick (Roland) drove in classmate David Fitzgerald (Dubuque) on his single to right. The Orange and Black built their lead to 3-0 in seventh as senior Clay Henning (Plymouth, Wis.) scored on a balk and freshman JoJo McNair (Joliet, Ill.) crossed the plate on Fitzgerald's fielder's choice.
Loras tied the game with three runs in the eighth. In the bottom of the ninth, Fitzgerald hit a single to right with two outs, but was left stranded as the next batter lined out to the shortstop to send it into extra innings.
In the 11th, the leadoff man for the Duhawks hit a double, was sacrificed to third and scored on a fielder's choice to make it 4-3. In Wartburg's half of the inning, Fitzgerald drew a walk to load the bases with two outs. Unfortunately, the rally was halted as the next batter flew out to left field.
Fitzgerald went 3-5 and senior Tanner Eckhart (Monticello, Minn.) threw 7.1 innings and tallied a career-high 10 strikeouts.
A different story rang true in the second game, as Loras led 3-1 after two innings. The Knights got on the board in the third as sophomore Tyler Nunemaker (Ely) scored on Fitzgerald's fielder's choice.
The Duhawks extended their lead to 4-1 in the top of the fifth on an RBI single. The Orange and Black sliced the margin to one with two runs in the bottom of the frame. Freshman Parker Ridge (Marion) scored on McNair's single and Henning scored on a wild pitch, to make it 4-3.
This would remain as the final score as senior Blake Mahoney (Des Moines) hit a triple in the eighth, but was left standed, and McNair had a leadoff single in the ninth, but was left there as the next three were retired.
McNair went 3-3 in this game.
The teams return to the field tomorrow for the single nine-inning game at 11 a.m.
