CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — The second-seeded Coe College baseball team suffered a defeat in the American Rivers Conference tournament finale on Sunday at Veterans Memorial Stadium, falling 5-2 to fourth-seeded Wartburg. The Kohawks and Knights were scoreless after two innings and traded runs in the third as the teams could not be separated for seven frames. Wartburg used a four-run top of the eighth inning to take the lead for good, getting three straight singles to start the inning before a run-scoring single and a defensive miscue allowed three more to score. The Kohawks did pull one back in the bottom of the frame on an RBI double from
Jon Wille, but Wartburg turned to its bullpen for two clutch outs to limit the damage. Coe had one final chance in the ninth with a one-out single, but the Knights again had an answer, pulling out a game-ending double play to clinch the title.
Jack Casey was the lone Kohawk with a multi-hit performance in the game, registering two knocks, while Wille,
Jake Mitchell, Isaiah Espey, and
Ryan Brosius picked up the remaining hits.
#4 WARTBURG 5 - #2 COE 2
- Wartburg took the lead in the top of the third, taking advantage of an error to lead off the inning. Xander Cloudy did his best to get out of the jam, but a well-executed safety squeeze pushed home the opening run. Jack Walsh entered with two runners on and quickly escaped the trouble, inducing an inning-ending double play to keep it close. The offense answered, getting a one-out single from Casey and a walk from Ryan Thoreson. A wild pitch in the next at-bat allowed Casey to scamper home for 1-1, but the Knights got back-to-back outs and got out of the inning. The Knights got things going in the eighth with three straight singles, driving home the first of four runs in the inning. Back-to-back walks later in the inning loaded the bases for Wartburg, which extended its lead with a two-run single, on which a third run scored on a defensive miscue from Coe. Wille and the Kohawks tried to muster a response, getting a one-out RBI double and another runner on but consecutive outs for Wartburg sent the game to the ninth. Espey singled with one out in the bottom of the ninth and was quickly erased as Wartburg finished off the game with a 5-4-3 double play to secure the title.
#KohawkNation #TalonsOut
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