WAVERLY, Iowa – The Wartburg College Knights baseball team (7-20 overall, 4-10 A-R-C) snapped an eight-game losing streak by splitting their doubleheader against the Nebraska Wesleyan Prairie Wolves (6-17, 4-7) on Saturday. The Knights won game one 7-4, but fell 4-1 in game two.
The Orange and Black scored the first run of the first game in the second inning when junior
Tyler Nunemaker (Ely) doubled to left center, followed by a RBI single from junior
Manny Jeffery (Marion) that advanced Jeffery to second and scored Nunemaker after an error by Nebraska Wesleyan's Connor Cech on the throw to first. An ensuing single by sophomore
Parker Ridge (Marion) advanced Jeffery to third and set up the second scored run of the inning as freshman
Jarod Harris (Manchester) singled up the middle to score Jeffery and take the 2-0 lead.
The Knights extended their lead to 3-0 at the bottom of the third off of a RBI single from Nunemaker that scored junior
Tyler Hovick (Roland). Nebraska Wesleyan trimmed the deficit to two with a home run at the top of the fourth. The Orange and Black responded to the single shot with a four-run fourth inning that was highlighted by a two RBI triple from Nunemaker to push the Wartburg lead to 7-1.
The Prairie Wolves scored a runs at the top of the fifth and seventh innings, but were unable to mount the comeback as freshman pitcher
Aaron Eybers (Sioux City) closed out the ninth with a 1-2-3 inning to secure the game. Sophomore
Dylan Gotto (Peosta) tied a career-high with eight innings pitched, recording five strikeouts en route to earning his third victory of the season. Eybers picked up his first save of his career with the shutout effort in the ninth.
In game two, Wartburg again was the team to score first after Hovick tripled to right field and was brought home by a RBI groundout from Nunemaker to take the early 1-0 lead. Junior
Ben Milewski (Lake Villa) loaded the bases at the top of the fourth and ended up walking two Prairie Wolves to hand Nebraska Wesleyan the 2-1 lead before being subbed out for Eybers. Eybers surrendered a RBI single up the middle before getting Nebraska Wesleyan to ground out into a double-play to end the inning down 3-1.
The Prairie Wolves scored their fourth run of the game at the top of the sixth after a sac fly to left scored one, pushing the lead to 4-1. Wartburg failed to score again by leaving runners on base in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings in the loss.
The two teams return to the diamond tomorrow to complete the three-game series. First pitch is at 12 p.m.
