WAVERLY, Iowa – Wartburg baseball closed its three-game series with St. Olaf University on Sunday, Mar. 20 after splitting a doubleheader. The Knights won two out of the three matchups with St. Olaf this weekend and are now 8-7 overall.
Game Summary
Game 1: Wartburg 4, St. Olaf 3 (8 innings)
The first game started with a defensive battle, as neither team recorded a hit until the third inning. In the top of the third, the Oles scored two runs after the Knights recorded two errors in the frame. The Orange & Black escaped the inning with no more runs allowed.
The Knights responded in the fourth with a two-run homer from
Zach Walton to tie the game up.
Aaron Eybers replaced
Darren Kilpatrick on the mound in the sixth to close the game. Wartburg held off the Oles in their last three at bats to send the game to extra innings.
In the top of the eighth inning St. Olaf hit back-to-back doubles to take a 3-2 lead, but the Orange & Black got out of the inning with just one run scored. The Knights started their half inning with
Eliot Jurgensen drawing a hit by pitch and an Eybers single to put runners on first and second.
Zach Wesolowski hit another single to load the bases for Walton, who tied the game with an RBI single up the middle.
Ben DeKruyf had the walkoff RBI single to give the Knights a 4-3 win.
Kilpatrick got the start on the mound and pitched five innings for the Knights in a no-decision performance. The Fairfax, Iowa native recorded seven strikeouts and only allowed one hit in his outing. The senior is 1-2 overall in starts and has made four appearances this season.
Eybers earned his first win of the season with his three innings of relief today. The senior recorded three strikeouts and allowed just two hits in his sixth appearance this season.
Walton led the way at the plate, going 2-4 with three RBI and his second homerun of the season.
Game 2: Wartburg 2, St. Olaf 7 (7 innings)
The Knights got the bottom of the first started with a single from Jurgensen but were unable to record any more hits until the third inning. In the bottom of the third, it was Jurgensen again but this time for a double. A wild pitch advanced Jurgensen to third and a groundout from
Keaton Gray brought the run in to make it 1-0.
The Oles responded in the next frame with a double of their own that led to their first run after a groundout RBI. St. Olaf kept up the attack in the top of the fifth after two singles and a walk loaded the bases. The next batter doubled to left center to clear the bases and give the Oles a 4-1 lead.
Joey Ciero was replaced with
Cael Boehmer after the double and Boehmer was able to escape the inning with just one more run allowed, making the score 5-1 St. Olaf. The Orange & Black got one run back in the bottom of the fifth after a Gray sacrifice fly.
Caleb Andrews doubled in the bottom of the sixth, but the Knights were unable to bring him in for a run and the score was 5-1 heading to the seventh. The Oles were able to add two insurance runs in the top of the seventh after two more errors from the Knights defense.
Ciero started on the bump for the Orange & Black and recorded 4.2 innings pitched in the loss. Ciero got three strikeouts and walked three batters in his fourth start of the season. The junior right hander moves to 2-2 overall in starts.
Boehmer pitched the final 2.1 innings for Wartburg and struck out one batter while walking none.
Gray led the offense with two RBI but finished the day 0-2 at the plate. Both Jurgensen and Andrews hit doubles for the Knights' only two extra base hits of the game.
Next Time Out
Wartburg continues its homestand with another doubleheader tomorrow, Mar. 21 against Martin Luther College beginning at 4 p.m.
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