CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa-- In the elimination game Saturday morning, Wartburg defeated Coe 8-4. With the win, head coach Joel Holst earned his 800th career victory, which also marked his 700th during his time at Wartburg. The Knights also moved their winning streak to seven-straight over the Kohawks in the all-time series.

Coe Highlights


Coe actually took the early 2-0 lead after its at-bats in the first. Senior Zach Hovick (Roland) drove in freshman Parker Ridge (Marion) on his single to left in the third to put the Orange and Black on the board.

In the fifth, Hovick tied the score as he scored on a wild pitch. In the next frame, freshman JoJo McNair (Joliet, Ill.) scored on Ridge's double for the go-ahead run. Hovick later had a two-run single which made it 5-2, and senior Blake Mahoney (Des Moines) plated Hovick and classmate Eric Willis (Waverly) on his single to right to extend the lead to 7-2.

The Kohawks answered with a sac fly in their seventh and McNair scored on defensive errors in the bottom of the frame to make it 8-3. Coe plated its last run in the eighth on an RBI single.
 
Hovick went 3-3 with two runs and three RBIs. McNair was 2-4 with two runs.

Dubuque Highlights


Against Dubuque, Wartburg took the early 1-0 lead in the first as Hovick drove in Ridge from second on his single to center. The Knights extended their lead to 3-0 in the fifth as sophomore Manny Jeffery (Marion) singled over a leaping first baseman which allowed two to score.

Willis scored on a passed ball in the top of the sixth to make it 4-0. The Spartans tallied their first run of the game in the sixth on a sacrifice fly. They added to their total on an RBI groundout and a single to center to trim the margin to one at 4-3.

In the seventh, Dubuque tied the game on a single to right field and then took the lead on a sacrifice fly.

The Orange and Black then tied it in the eighth at 5-5 as senior Cody Hyler (Des Moines) scored on a McNair's fielder's choice.

The Spartans compiled six runs in the eighth to pull ahead 11-5. Wartburg scored its final run in the ninth as Mahoney scored on Willis' single to centerfield.

Jeffery was 3-4 with two RBIs.

The Knights did not receive an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament.