ST. PETER, Minn. – The Wartburg College Knights baseball team (5-11 overall) split their doubleheader on Tuesday afternoon against the Gustavus Adolphus Golden Gusties (8-4), losing game one 4-3 and winning game two 10-4. Both games only lasted seven innings.
 
In game one, the Golden Gusties struck first with a RBI single at the bottom of the second, followed by a sac fly in the bottom of the third to jump out to a 2-0 lead. Wartburg responded with a three-run fourth inning, highlighted by a RBI double from junior Tyler Nunemaker (Ely), a RBI single by junior Andrew Walker (Eagan) and a sac fly by freshman Bryce Butler (Mason City).
 
In the bottom of the fifth, Gustavus tied up the game off of a sac fly and followed that run with another at the bottom of the sixth, coming off of a runner scoring on a wild pitch from senior pitcher Robert Primrose (Adel). Wartburg failed to score at the top of the seventh, effectively ending the game in a 4-3 defeat.
 
In game two, Wartburg struck first with a three-run second inning that was highlighted by a RBI from sophomore Parker Ridge (Marion), a RBI ground out by Baumann and by junior infielder Tyler Hovick (Roland) scoring unearned on an error by Gustavus' shortstop.
 
At the top of the fifth inning, sophomore outfielder JoJo McNair (Joliet, Ill.) and Butler both singled to lead off the inning. With two men on, freshman infielder Jarod Harris (Manchester) singled, bringing home McNair and advancing Butler to third. On the ensuing batter, Gustavus committed a passed ball which allowed Butler to score, bringing the Knights' lead to 5-0. Junior Manny Jeffery (Marion) capped off the inning with a sac fly out to left, scoring Harris and pushing the lead to 6-0.
 
Gustavus responded with a four-run fifth inning to trim the lead to 6-4. The Knights answered with a three-run sixth inning, highlighted by a sac bunt from Baumann and a RBI single by McNair. The final run of the inning was scored by McNair as he was able to reach home on an error by the Gustavus shortstop to lead 9-4. The Orange and Black would add one more run at the top of the seventh, as Hovick scored on a wild pitch to push the lead to six (10-4). Freshman Aaron Eybers (Sioux City) stuck out one and forced two Golden Gusties to fly out in the bottom of the seventh to secure the victory, 10-4.
 
Next up for the Knights is a weekend three-game series against Central College (11-3, 1-2 A-R-C) beginning on Friday at 3 p.m.