LINCOLN, Neb. – A solo home run in the top of the 10^th inning put Wartburg College ahead and they would hold on for a 10-9 victory to complete a doubleheader sweep over Nebraska Wesleyan in IIAC baseball action on Friday afternoon (March 30) in Lincoln.  The Knights defeated the Prairie Wolves 7-5 in the opening game of the series.
 
Game two was an up and down affair throughout that had home runs, lead changes and eventually went to extra innings.  NWU scored in each of the first four innings but still trailed until the 6^th inning when they took their first lead.  Wartburg opened the game with two runs in the 1^st, one in the 2^nd and three in the 4^th. 
 
Justus Stocks blasted a two-run home run off the scoreboard in left field, his second HR of the game, to give the Prairie Wolves an 8-7 lead after six innings.  Wartburg came back to tie the game in the top of the 7^th inning then took a one run lead in the top of the 8^th.
 
Stocks came up big again in the bottom of the 8^th as he lined a ball to centerfield that just got over the outfielders head for a double to bring in Justin Corfield with the tying run.  NWU had runners on 2^nd and 3^rd to try to take a lead, but a strikeout ended the threat. 
 
After a quick 1-2-3 top of the 9^th, the Prairie Wolves came to the plate looking to get their first conference win of the year.  Spencer Scheer opened the inning with a single, but he was forced out at second on a failed sacrifice attempt.  With two outs, Dalton Vergith was hit by a pitch to put the winning run in scoring position.  A foul out ended the threat for the Prairie Wolves and opened the door for Wartburg.
 
In the top of the 10^th, Zach Hovick hit a home run over the left field wall that would prove to the be the game-winning hit.
 
NWU finished with 10 hits, compared to nine for the Knights.  Stocks was the story of the game going 4-5 with two home runs, a double and five RBI to lead the Prairie Wolves offense.  He was the only NWU player with a multi-hit game.
 
Hayden Parker was the starter on the mound going four innings allowing four earned runs with four strikeouts.  A total of five pitchers were used in the game.  Sam Condello pitched the final 2 1/3 innings to take the loss.
 
Game one started out as a pitchers dual with the two team's aces not giving up a run through four innings.  Finally in the top of the 5^th, Wartburg was able to light the scoreboard with two runs.
 
NWU responded with a run of their own as Brook Johnson doubled to drive in Jared Scdoris. 
 
Three Knights hits and a pair of NWU errors allowed three runs to score in the top of the 7^th inning to give Wartburg a 5-1 advantage.  Just like they have done all season, the Prairie Wolves kept fighting back.
 
It was the bottom of the NWU lineup that came through in the 7^th inning as Scordis hit an RBI single, followed by a 2-run home run from Johnson that sailed over the left field wall.  That made the score 5-4 heading to the final two innings.
 
Wartburg hit a 2-run home run in the top of the 9^th to make it a three-run game once again in favor of the Knights.  NWU did score one run in the 9^th on a RBI single from Johnson, but they couldn't get any closer as they fell 7-5.
 
Jesse Maguire started for the Prairie Wolves going 6 1/3 innings allowing five earned runs on six hits with five strikeouts.  Tanner Eckhart got the win for the Knights allowing just one run on four hits with five strikeouts.
 
The two teams will close out the three game series on Saturday at Noon.