WAVERLY, Iowa – The Wartburg baseball team opened the 2021 American Rivers Conference Tournament on Thursday, May 20, at Harms Stadium at Hertel Field and suffered consecutive losses to Luther College 11-4 and Loras College 9-5, which ended its season. 

The Knights received the No. 7 seed for the postseason playoffs and are hosting one of two pods for the tournament. The other half is taking place at Mount Mercy University in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Luther 11, Wartburg 4

The Knights opened the 2021 postseason with a loss against the No. 2 seeded Norse, conceding 18 hits and 11 earned runs.

Luther's 11 RBI was headlined by two home runs, three doubles, and one triple.

Runs in each the first three innings led up to big three-run innings in both fourth and fifth innings as Luther claimed a 9-3 lead.

Before the Norse broke out for a six-run lead, the Knights came within one run at a 3-2 deficit in the fourth, scoring a pair of unearned runs. A sacrifice fly by Max Goodhue in the fifth inning trimmed Luther's lead to 6-3, but that was as close as the Knights would get.

Wartburg added a pair in the ninth, scoring on a wild pitch before a Ben DeKruyf RBI single.

Darren Kilpatrick suffered the loss, allowing six earned runs in 3.1 innings pitched while notching five strikeouts.

The Knights' 11 hits as a team was the most since May 2, but 10 runners left on base hindered Wartburg's offensive output.

Loras 9, Wartburg 5

The No. 3 seeded Duhawks were upset during Thursday's opener by No. 6 Simpson College to face the Knights in the elimination game.

Luke Fennelly opened the scoring in the first with a solo homer off Wartburg starting pitcher Joey Ciero that preceded a three-run third inning followed by another in the fourth, setting the Loras lead to 5-0.

Marshall Rice started on the mound for Loras and held the Knights scoreless through the first five innings.

Wartburg got on the board in the sixth as a bases loaded hit by pitch to Caleb Andrews scored Zach Walton.

Loras responded in the bottom half, plating two runs to earn a 7-1 lead.

Davis Pasco then came in to pitch and the Knights pounced on the relief pitcher after he loaded the bases and a bases-clearing double from DeKruyf trimmed the Duhawk lead to 7-4 and knock Pasco out of the game. A sacrifice fly from Cole Wessling scored DeKruyf to put the Orange & Black within two of Loras, 7-5.

Another rain delay halted the Knights' momentum going into the eighth and Loras shut the door on the comeback. The Duhawks recorded two runs in the bottom of the inning to push their lead back to four. Wartburg couldn't find the rally it was looking for in the final frame and suffered a 9-5 defeat. 

The Knights total 10 hits and five RBIs during the contest. Loras' Marshall Rice improved to 4-3 on the mound while Joey Ciero was credited with the loss. 

Wartburg ended its season with a 14-28 overall record and a 12-20 ledger in conference play.