AUBURNDALE, Fla. -- The Wartburg College baseball team (3-3 overall) opened play at the RussMatt Invitational on Monday with a pair of setbacks in Florida.

The Knights fell 9-3 to Concordia University Chicago (2–4 overall) in the opener before suffering a 14-3 loss to Saint Mary's University of Minnesota (4–2 overall) in game two.

*Official stats for the Saint Mary's game will become available once received from coaches.*
 
GAME ONE – Concordia Chicago 9, Wartburg 3
The Knights dropped a 9–3 decision in its opening game, despite a strong offensive showing from Jayden Scott. Scott paced the Knights with three singles and two walks, accounting for nearly half of Wartburg's eight hits on the day. Griffin Troha, Keegan Schmitt, Andrew Robinson, Bode Nagelmaker, and Dylan Stockdale each added a single.

Wartburg struck first in the top of the opening inning. Scott recorded the Knights' first hit, then advanced to third on a stolen base and a wild pitch before scoring on a fielding error to give Wartburg a 1-0 lead. The Cougars responded in the bottom half, then added single runs in the second and third to take a 3-1 advantage.

The Knights answered in the fourth. Scott led off with his second hit of the game, and walks from Schmitt and Charlie Krueger loaded the bases with no outs. Robinson delivered a single to left to drive in Scott, and Robinson later came home on a wild pitch to knot the game at 3-3.

Starter Emerson Alberhasky exited in the fourth after issuing a pair of walks, giving way to left-hander Zach Byrne. Byrne was tagged with the loss after the Cougars pushed across the go-ahead run in the fifth to reclaim a 4-3 lead.

Wartburg threatened again in the seventh. Stockdale opened the inning with a single and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Liam Bender. Walks from Troha and Scott loaded the bases with two outs, but a line drive off the bat of Schmitt was snagged in right field to end the inning and keep the deficit at one.

The Knights left two more runners aboard in the eighth, and the Cougars broke the game open with five runs in the bottom of the frame to secure the 9-3 victory. Wartburg pitchers combined to strike out nine hitters in the contest.
 
TAKE NOTE

• Alberhasky went 3.1 innings, allowing three hits, three runs (all earned), five walks and struck out six.
• Byrne tossed 4.1 innings, allowing four hits, four runs (all earned), and struck out three.
• Owen Greco and Logan Sullivan each made appearances out of the bullpen.
• The Cougars benefited from the games' lone extra base hit.
• Wartburg left a total of 11 runners on the base paths compared to Concordia Chicago's eight.  
• Concordia Chicago leads the all time series 12-7.

 
GAME TWO – Saint Mary's (Minn.) 14, Wartburg 3 (8 inn.) (STATS NOT FINALIZED)
A six-run opening frame from the Cardinals was too much to overcome, as Saint Mary's claimed a 14-3 win over Wartburg in game two.
 
In the top of the first, Saint Mary's crossed six to the plate to take an early lead.

The Cardinals were able to build an 11-0 lead in the sixth before Gallegos crushed the Knights' first homerun of the season to make it 11-1.

In the bottom of the seventh, Garrett Kadolph recorded his first collegiate homerun, a two-run shot over the left field fence, to pull within eight at 11-3.

SMU tacked on three more runs to end the contest at 14-3 in the eighth inning.
 
TAKE NOTE

• Wartburg still leads the all-time series, 10-7.

 
UP NEXT
Wartburg looks to get back in the win column against John Carroll University (4-0 overall) on Tuesday, March 3 in Davenport, Fla. First pitch is set for 12:30 p.m. (EST).