WAVERLY, Iowa (March 26, 2023) – A doubleheader split to finish out the conference-opening series gave the Loras College baseball team a series victory over Wartburg College on Saturday.

The Duhawks (11-7, 2-1 A-R-C) took game one of the series on Friday night in Waverly, Iowa and then took the rubber match in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader to start American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) play with a 2-1 record and a series win on the road over the Knights (6-6, 1-2 A-R-C).

Wartburg 3, Loras 1
Both games on Saturday were dominated by the pitching staffs. Loras scored one run in the first inning of game one as a bases loaded sacrifice fly from senior Nick DiBenedetto plated sophomore Max McCallum, but that turned out to be the only run for the Duhawks across the next 25 outs.

Wartburg starter Cael Boehmer settled in nicely after his early-inning trouble and went on to earn the win after tossing 7.0 innings and allowing only three Duhawk hits to go with just the one earned run.

Loras starter Max Vaisvila matched Boehmer for most of the game and kept the Knights scoreless through five innings. The freshman ran into trouble in the sixth as he walked four Knights hitters in the inning and surrendered two runs on just one hit that came in the form of an RBI double in the second at-bat of the frame.

Those two runs would have been enough for the Knights, but they added an insurance run in the bottom of the seventh against Duhawk reliever Danny Hiemer. Kyle Thompson and Will Armstrong each pitched an inning of relief for the Knights to take game one and even the series up at one game apiece.

Loras 2, Wartburg 1
Pitching was on full display again in the rubber match as the two sides combined for only eight hits in the game. Duhawk starter Ryan Wohlers tossed one of the best games of his career as he went 6.0 innings and allowed only two Wartburg hits before giving way to closer Ethan Peters.

The only run for the Knights came in the second inning as they loaded the bases against Wohlers with no outs. The graduate student pitcher limited the damage to just one run on a Wartburg sac fly and prevented a potentially big inning to keep the Duhawks in contention early.

Loras tied the game in the fifth inning as an infield error from the Knights allowed senior Tyler Pransky to score from second base after he had advanced there on a wild pitch. That set the table for the next inning as the Duhawks took the lead as junior Daniel Rogers scored the winning run on a fielder's choice from DiBenedetto.

Those two runs were enough as Wohlers earned the win and Peters recorded his third save of the year by tossing the final three innings. Together, the two graduate students allowed just one Wartburg run on three hits across the nine innings.

Loras' home opener is scheduled for Tuesday, March 28, against Simpson College. The doubleheader at Petrakis Park begins at 3:30 P.M.