STORM LAKE, Iowa-- The Wartburg baseball team (23-11 overall, 14-6 IIAC) dropped the first game in the weekend series against Buena Vista (14-20, 10-11) 11-5 Friday.

The Knights took the early 1-0 lead as freshman JoJo McNair (Joliet, Ill.) scored on a wild pitch. The Beavers tied it up in the second on an RBI single, but the Orange and Black took the 3-1 lead in the third, as senior Clay Henning (Plymouth, Wis.) scored on an error and McNair crossed the plate on senior Zach Hovick's (Roland) double to right field.

BV tallied two in the third and two in the fifth to reclaim the lead at 5-3. A five-run seventh inning gave BV the 10-3 lead. Each team scored one in the eighth to make it 11-4. Freshman Parker Ridge (Marion) drove in Hovick on his RBI single.

Wartburg tallied its last run in the top of the ninth as senior Eric Willis (Waverly) scored from first on classmate Blake Mahoney's (Des Moines) double.

Willis finished 3-5. McNair and Hovick were both 2-4.

The teams return to the field tomorrow to complete the series with the doubleheader.