WAVERLY, Iowa- Loras got outgunned in game two 12-5, but recovered in the following contest with a 9-6 victory to take one game of the three-game series against Wartburg.

Game two quickly favored the home team, as the Knights snagged a run in the first on a single, only to be matched in the second by an Alex Sandoval sacrifice fly to left-center.

Loras (18-16, 12-9 A-R-C) seemed to put the memories of game one to rest, until Wartburg (19-14, 10-11 A-R-C) unloaded a five-run offensive in the third, hitting their third grand-slam of the series in the process.

The Purple and Gold wouldn't fall quietly, as they responded in the sixth with a four-run onslaught. Jake Zeal hit a bases loaded infield single to plate the Duhawks second run of the game, which was followed by a bases-clearing triple from Jackson Cullen to put the visitors back within one.

Yet, this momentum boost would be short-lived. The Knights answered the four run sixth with four of their own, adding a pair in the seventh for good measure.

This felt like the nail in the coffin for the Purple and Gold, and they would fall in game two, conceding the series to Wartburg.

Yet, they had one more game and made the most of it.

Once again, Loras fell behind early, with a 1-0 deficit after the first inning.

In the third the Duhawks would find their way on the scoreboard, starting off with a Joey Gumuls single, and with two outs, there was a Cullen hit-by-pitch. This led Vince Polizzi to the plate. The senior from Naperville, Ill., who had a 6-for-13 weekend for the Purple and Gold, would get his first of three base hits with a groundball through the right side of the infield, scoring both runners.

The Knights answered in the bottom frame, knotting it up at 2-2. But, this moment turned out to be the calm before the storm.

Loras exploded in the fifth, putting up seven spots on six hits. This once again involved the usual suspects of Polizzi, Cullen, Gumuls, and Sandoval, who all scored runs in the inning. Cody Sunny joined in on the fun as well with a double to left-center and eventually the inning was capped off with Polizzi's second and third RBI of the game.

After that outburst it was 9-2. A comeback effort by Wartburg pulled the score back within three, yet a quality start from Vincent Costantino and a long-relief outing from Dylan Ackermann would secure a win in game three.

The victory was also huge in that it propelled Loras to third place in the American Rivers Conference standings, with a chance at a two seed within reach for the Purple and Gold.

On Deck: That chance comes next week against the Coe College Kohawks at Petrakis Park. The first game is slated for Thursday, April 30, at 6:00 p.m.