WAVERLY, Iowa – The Wartburg College baseball team split its series finale doubleheader versus Loras College on Monday afternoon from Harms Stadium at Hertel Field, winning game one 3-2 on a walk-off single by
Cole Wessling prior to a game two 7-2 Loras win.
The Knights and Duhawks split the season series during Wartburg's final American Rivers Conference regular season home games.
Wartburg 3, Loras 2 (9 inn.)
Wartburg took a 1-0 lead in the second inning.
Zach Walton was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and came around to score after singles by
Ben DeKruyf and
Carter Stubitz.
Loras scored runs in each the fourth and fifth inning to claim a 2-1 lead while starting pitcher Davis Pasco held the Knights scoreless through the sixth inning.
Down a run with two outs in the bottom of inning seven, Wartburg rallied to tie the game at 2-2 and force extra innings.
Drew Wyffels pinch ran for
Brett Kelting and came around to score after a
Bryce Butler sacrifice bunt followed by an RBI single from pinch hitter
Cael Boehmer.
For a second consecutive game, the Knights earned a walk-off victory as
Cole Wessling played the hero, knocking in the game-winning hit with a single to center, scoring DeKruyf to push across the third run in the ninth inning.
Joey Ciero went the distance on the mound, allowing two earned runs in nine innings with six strikeouts. His record improves to 2-3 with his second complete game on the year.
Loras 7, Wartburg 2
The Duhawks didn't let the Knights' exciting finish during game one carry into the nightcap, scoring a pair in the first and another in the second to grab an early three-run lead.
Wartburg scored one in the second on a Stubitz RBI single, scoring Walton to cut the Loras lead to 3-1.
Each team scored a run in the fifth. Stubitz led off with a double and came around to score unearned off a Duhawk error after a
Bryce Butler.
The visitors scored a trio of runs to extend their lead to 7-2, putting the game out of reach while relief pitcher Owen Funke tossed 2.2 scoreless innings to close out the game to earn the save.
Game two went just seven innings because of the first game's extra innings.
Up Next
Wartburg, now 14-20 overall and 12-16 during American Rivers Conference play, closes out the 2021 league schedule at Coe College May 6-8.
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