DUBUQUE, Iowa – The Nebraska Wesleyan baseball season came to a close over the weekend as the Prairie Wolves dropped three games at the University of Dubuque.  NWU fell 17-1 on Friday, then lost both games of the doubleheader on Saturday 19-3 and 9-1.
 
With their sweep, Dubuque claimed their first Iowa Conference regular season championship in program history.  Nebraska Wesleyan ends the season 9-26 overall and 5-18 in IIAC play.
 
Friday's game was all Dubuque as they pounded out 17 hits, jumping out to an 8-0 lead after two innings.  They scored six more in the bottom of the 4^th inning to get ahead by double digits and cruise to the win in seven innings.
 
Nebraska Wesleyan's only run came on an RBI single from Riley Ward in the 3^rd inning.  Making his final start of his career, senior Brody Murphy took the loss on the mound giving up eight runs in 1 1/3 innings.
 
Game one on Saturday got off to just as poor of a start with the Spartans scoring five runs in the 1^st inning.  They pounded out 21 total hits, including seven doubles and a triple for eight extra base hits.
 
All three Prairie Wolves runs were scored in the 5^th inning.  Dalton Vergith hit an RBI triple, Derek Kolbush drove in a run with a double and Kyle Hunter had an RBI single.  Kolbush was 2-3 with two doubles in the game.
 
Jesse Maguire took the loss pitching five innings allowing five earned runs.  Six other runs he gave up were unearned.  He struck out five in his final five innings of his career. 
 
Dubuque completed the sweep with a 9-1 victory in game two.  They had 11 hits in that contest finishing the three game series with 49 hits and 45 runs.
 
The Spartans were ahead 4-0 after four innings when NWU finally got on the board.  Kyle Hunter hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Spencer Scheer with the Prairie Wolves only run of the game.
 
NWU had just five hits, while committing four errors.  Riley Ward started the game pitching four innings allowing four earned runs and five hits.