DUBUQUE, Iowa – The Duhawks got outmatched by Luther in game two and couldn't muster an extra-innings victory in the third game, resulting in a Norse sweep of Loras, with a pair of final scores 21-0 and 6-5.
Game two was an all-out blitz from Luther (20-7, 10-3 A-R-C), who mustered over half of their team's runs in the second, thanks to an 11 spot that put Loras (10-12, 4-5 A-R-C) squarely in the rearview mirror.
That second inning snowballed quickly, with 10 additional runs coming across in the fifth, sixth, and seventh.
The Purple and Gold had no answer offensively, and it was a shutout victory for the visiting Norse.
Game three, however, told a completely different tale.
Despite the Norse jumping out to an early 4-0 lead, the Duhawks showed a lot of grit and started clawing their way back.
The comeback effort began in the second, when
Ben Shea knocked in
Isiah Rose on a single and
Jake Zeal plated
Cody Sunny on a groundout.
Then in the fifth, Loras was given an additional run when the pitcher for Luther sailed a ball into center field after receiving a ground ball.
There was a quick response from the Norse, making it a 5-3 ball game, but once again, the Purple and Gold wouldn't simply bow out.
Two more runs came across in the sixth inning, as a double from
Liam Sullivan and a single off the bat of
Vince Polizzi worked Loras all the way back to a tie ballgame.
From here, the Duhawks used relief efforts by
Lucas Weiner,
Carson Hammer, and
Dylan Ackermann to give the home crowd a chance to witness a walk-off at Petrakis Park.
Unfortunately, fate didn't side with the Purple and Gold, as the heart of the order brought no movement on the basepaths in the ninth, and in the tenth, Luther had a timely single up the middle to get the lead back.
In the bottom frame, the Duhawks dropped in order, and for the second straight year, Loras was swept by Luther.
On Deck: The Purple and Gold have a bounce back opportunity this weekend as the Prairie Wolves of Nebraska Wesleyan come into town. First pitch of the three-game series is set for Friday, April 10 at 6:00 p.m. in Dubuque, Iowa.
