WAVERLY, Iowa - The No. 14-ranked Wartburg College softball team hosted the University of Dubuque during its 2021 American Rivers Conference and home-opening doubleheader on Saturday, March 20 at Lynes Field, winning game one 10-9 and falling in the second 10-9.

On a  windy afternoon, the Knights and Spartans combined for 50 hits and 10 home runs through two games as the two squads flip flopped results in the twinbill. Wartburg tallied 24 hits on the day, while Dubuque notched 26. 

Kaylie Springer led the Knights with five hits and five runs scored, while Sydney Illg recorded four hits and seven runs batted in with a pair of homers.

It's been awhile... but we're pumped to have @WartburgSB back in action at Lynes Field!#GoKnights pic.twitter.com/u4SXTOez89

— Wartburg Athletics (@WartburgKnights) March 20, 2021

Wartburg 10, Dubuque 9
During the series opener, the Knights got off to a hot start offensively and snuck by the Spartans while holding off a late UD rally.

The Orange & Black scored a trio of runs in each the first and two innings. UD pushed across five after four innings to trim the Wartburg lead to 8-5 heading into the fifth frame. 

In the bottom half of the fifth, Illg hit a two-run home run, her second of the game, granting the home team a 10-7 lead. Dubuque answered with a homer in the sixth and put together a rally in the seventh, scoring off a double and a Wartburg error.

Tarah Wehde relieved Ashley Nelson in the pitcher's circle with two outs and struck out the UD batter for the final out, earning the save. 

Maddie Rog pitched the first 3.1 innings, allowing five earned runs with three strikeouts. Nelson earned the win, improving her record to 2-0 with 3.1 innings pitched.

Springer was 3-for-3 at the plate and Illg had four RBI. Five Knights had multi-hit performances.

Dubuque 10, Wartburg 9
Both teams' bats stayed strong in game two, taking advantage of the lofty winds at Lynes Field.

A combined five home runs led to a 7-4 Dubuque lead after four innings. 

Wartburg tallied two runs in the fifth off doubles from Lauren Frerichs and Kaci Sherwood, trimming the UD lead to 7-5. A four-run sixth inning for Wartburg then gave the Knights a 9-7 lead, backed by singles from Springer, Illg, and a Frerichs sacrifice fly.

Dubuque's fifth home run of the game in the seventh inning stood as the eventual game-winning RBI. In the bottom half, Wartburg had a pair of baserunners but its rally fell short with the final out called on Springer - a slap hitter called out of the batter's box.

Frerichs paced the Knights' offense, batting 3-for-4 with three runs scored. Wehde started in the pitcher's circle and tossed three innings, giving up five. Maddie Rog suffered the loss, pitching the final 3.1 innings.

Up Next
The Knights, now 10-2 overall and 1-1 during A-R-C action, concludes the series with one game tomorrow at 1 p.m. from Lynes Field.