WAVERLY, Iowa – Wartburg baseball split today's doubleheader against the University of Dubuque with a close game one loss and a 12-7 win in game two. The Orange & Black are now 17-10 overall and move to 7-3 in American Rivers Conference play.
Game Summaries
Game 1: Wartburg 4, UD 5
Dubuque struck early in game one as they brought a run across in the top of the first after home was stolen following a dropped third strike. After one hit in the first two innings, Wartburg answered in the bottom of the third with three runs.
Caleb Andrews singled to score the first and then an error after a
Keaton Gray single allowed two more across to make it 3-1 after three innings.
Neither team scored in the fourth or fifth after Wartburg's starting pitcher,
Dylan Gotto, struck out four batters between the two innings. Errors allowed two runs to come across in the top of the sixth to tie the game up at three.
Wartburg had runners on the corners in the bottom of the seventh but were unable to break the tie and the score remained 3-3 until the ninth inning. The Spartans hit a two-out RBI double to make it 4-3 before scoring again two batters later to make the score 5-3 heading to the bottom of the ninth.
Max Goodhue singled before a
Zach Walton double brought him home to cut the lead in half. Wartburg moved the runner to third but stranded him to close a 5-4 loss.
Walton went three for four at the plate and hit one of the Knights' three doubles in game one. He drew one walk and finished the contest with one RBI.
Gray finished with a team-high two RBI in game one after going 2/4 at the plate.
Gotto pitched eight full innings for the Knights in game one and recorded 10 strikeouts in the loss. The senior earned a no decision today and remains 4-2 as a starter for the Knights. Gotto has now pitched 48 innings on the season and has a team-high 54 total strikeouts.
Game 2: Wartburg 12, UD 7
The Spartans started game two like they did game one, with a first inning run to make it 1-0 early. UD followed it up with another run in the second inning after a bunt single brought one across. The Knights got a run back in the bottom of the second after Andrews singled to left field to bring Walton home.
In the top of the third, Mitch Pomeroy of Dubuque homered down the left field line to make the score 4-1. Goodhue and
Zach Wesolowski singled to start the bottom of the third for the Knights. The bases were loaded after the next batter walked and then a wild pitch advanced all the runners and scored one. After another walk, Andrews reached on an error that scored three runs and gave the Knights a 5-4 lead. After an RBI from both Gray and
Bryce Butler,
Eliot Jurgensen doubled to put two runners in scoring position. Goodhue singled for the second time in the inning to wrap up a eight-run inning for the Orange & Black.
After back-to-back strikeouts to begin the fourth, UD was able to get one run back after two two-out singles. The Knights added their 10
th run in bottom of the fourth after
Ben DeKruyf hit a sacrifice fly.
The Knights managed just one hit over the next three innings and gave up one run in the sixth and seventh to bring the score to 10-7. Wartburg put two more runs up in the eighth inning after a passed ball scored Goodhue and a sacrifice fly from Walton scored Wesolowski.
Will Armstrong closed the game on the mound to secure the 12-7 win and his first save of the season.
Goodhue finished game two 3/5 at the plate and batted in a team-high two RBI. The senior also scored two runs in the win.
Darren Kilpatrick started game two and earned his third win of the season. The Fairfax, Iowa native went 5.1 innings and struck out six batters to lead the Knights. Armstrong closed the last three innings on the mound and allowed just one hit.
Next Time Out
The Knights will close the series against Dubuque on Sunday, Apr. 10 with first pitch set for 2 p.m. in Waverly.
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