DUBUQUE, Iowa – Wartburg baseball fell to Loras 12-10 on the road on Wednesday, Mar. 27  in a back-and-forth matchup that featured good offensive performances on both sides. The Knights are now 9-6 overall and 0-3 in American Rivers Conference play.
 
Game Summary

• First Inning
  • Wartburg got on the scoreboard first when Sam Nicolino hit a sacrifice fly to bring home Keaton Gray
  • Loras answered with a run of its own to knot the game at 1-1
• Third Inning
  • Eliot Jurgensen hit a deep solo shot home run to left field and then Zach Walton followed his at bat with an opposite field home run to make the score 3-1 Wartburg
  • Stubitz singled to bring around Sam Nicolino and push the Knights lead to 4-1
    • Loras homered in the bottom of the inning to cut the lead to 4-2 after three innings
• Fourth Inning
  • Gray started the inning scoring a run after taking advantage of a Loras fielding error
  • A Nicolino singled scored two runs and made the score 7-2
  • Loras put up four runs on three hits to cut the Wartburg lead to 7-6
• Fifth Inning
  • A Jurgensen sacrifice fly led to another Knights run to push the lead to 8-6
  • Loras answered with three more runs to take a 9-8 lead after five innings of play
• Seventh Inning
  • After a Gray walk, Walton stepped to the plate and went yard for the second time in the game to give Wartburg a  10-9 advantage
  • Loras again answered with a three-run bottom half of the inning to retake the lead 12-10
• Ninth Inning
  • Wartburg closed the game with one hit in each of the final two innings as Caleb Andrews singled in the eighth inning and Walton doubled in the ninth

 
Top Performers

• Zach Walton
  • 3/4 at the plate
  • Two HR
  • Three RBI
  • Double
• Eliot Jurgensen
  • 2/5 at the plate
  • HR
  • Two RBI
  • Triple
• Sam Nicolino
  • 1/3 at the plate
  • Three RBI
• Keaton Gray
  • 3/3 at the plate
  • Three runs scored
  • Two walks and HBP

 
Coaches Comments
Head coach Casey Klunder started his postgame thoughts by acknowledging Zach Walton's performance at the plate, "Walton came thorugh for us multiple times with runners in scoring postion today and has been swinging the bat really well this season"

"Credit to Nick Nin for going out and battling on the mound today in his first action since March 10" said Klunder on about his starting pitcher. "Hunter Sehr is another guy who had a gap between appearances on the mound and consistently is ready when his number is called"

Klunder also talked about Gray's success at the top of the lineup, "Keaton has been aggressive for us at the top of the lineup and that has led to more runners in scoring position"

"It doesn't get easier for us coming up this weekend heading to Dubuque for a three-game series, we expect to see some good arms on the mound and a good team this weekend in Dubuque" said Klunder. 

Notes/Streaks

• Walton and Jurgensen now both have five home runs this season
  • Leads team
• Second multi-HR game for Walton this season
• Jurgensen has five triples this season
  • Three shy of tying the single-season record
• Walton is now tied for third all-time in home runs with 22
  • Six shy of tying second
• Jurgensen now tied for seventh all-time in triples at Wartburg with 10
  • One shy one tying sixth

Next Time Out
The Knights are back in action on Friday, Mar. 29 at 3 p.m. to begin a three-game series on the road against the University of Dubuque.