WINTER HAVEN, Fla. -- The Wartburg College baseball team (4-3 overall) snapped a three-game skid with a 3-1 bounce-back victory over Concordia College Moorhead (4-3 overall).
The Knights relied on a strong outing from starting pitcher
Kam Volz (2-0), who tossed five scoreless innings and struck out six. Reliever
Zach Byrne worked the next three frames before
Conner Funk recorded the final three outs to earn his second save of the season. The Wartburg pitching staff limited the Concorida Moorhead to one extra base hit.
At the plate,
Bode Nagelmaker led the offense with a 2-for-4 performance, while driving in a runner.
Griffin Troha,
Andrew Gallegos,
Tanner Jackson, and
Liam Bender all provided Wartburg's six total hits - Concordia Moorhead out-hit Wartburg, 8-to-6.
Volz set the tone early, retiring the first three batters he faced and carrying his momentum through the opening innings.
Wartburg broke through in the fifth inning when
Tanner Jackson drove an RBI double off the left-field wall to score
Bode Nagelmaker and give the Knights a 1-0 lead.
The Knights added another run in the sixth as
Andrew Gallegos delivered an RBI double to bring home
Keegan Schmitt and extend the advantage to 2-0.
Volz exited in the bottom half of the sixth with a runner on and no outs, turning the ball over to Byrne. Concordia Moorhead managed to push across a run to trim the deficit to 2-1.
Wartburg answered in the eighth inning when Nagelmaker singled to right field, scoring Gallegos and restoring the Knights' two-run lead at 3-1.
TAKE NOTE
Volz earned his second win of the season
Schmitt is reached base safely in seven consecutive contests
UP NEXT
Wartburg will take on the College of St. Scholastica (3-1 overall) at 4:30 p.m. (EST) tomorrow, March 6, in Davenport, Fla.