CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa --- Wartburg College overcame a 6-run deficit to defeat two-time defending tournament champion Coe, 7-6, Saturday in the championship game of the 2013 Iowa Conference Baseball Tournament at Perfect Game Field at Veterans Memorial Stadium. Coe had advanced to the championship game by defeating Simpson, 6-1, earlier in the day.
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Iowa Conference Baseball Tournament Webpage
Game 9 --- Coe 6, Simpson 1 (Simpson eliminated) [ Box Score ]
Coe topped Simpson, 6-1, in Saturday's opening game behind a complete-game effort from Connor Alberhasky, eliminating the Storm from the tournament in third place.
The Kohawks got on the board in the second inning as Michael Goerdt scored on a JD Hunter RBI single to left center, then added three more in the fourth to take a 4-0 lead.
Simpson plated its only run in the fifth as Jake Barr scored on an RBI double to right center by Tyler Craig.
The Storm would get runners on in the sixth, seventh and ninth innings, but couldn't string anything together against Alberhasky (5-3), who scattered eight hits and two walks while striking out five.
Goerdt hit his second double of the game in the seventh, scoring Craig Konrardy to extend the lead to 5-1 and Tim Kayser scored on a wild pitch by Kyle Helmerson in the eighth to provide the final margin.
Goerdt, Hunter and Michael Redmond all finished with two hits for Coe. They were matched by Barr and Craig.
Simpson starting pitcher Junior Rodriguez took the loss, allowing four runs (three earned) on five hits in 3 1/3 innings.
Game 10 --- Wartburg 7, Coe 6 [ Box Score ]
It was truly a tale of two games in the final.
Coe preyed on early Wartburg miscues to plate six runs in the second inning. Tim Kayser drove in a pair on a single through the right side and Michael Redmond and Ben Larison followed with RBI singles. Another came across when Redmond scored when Craig Konrardy hit into a fielder's choice and the final run scored when Larison touched home on an AJ Reuter ground out to third base.
Kohawk starter Drew Arends took a no-hitter into the sixth inning, but quickly fell into trouble as Joe Grote led off the inning with a double to right center. Following a walk to left fielder Craig Kerper, Grote touched home for Wartburg's first run on a single down the right-field line by Andrew Krehbiel. Kerper followed on a Ryan Doty groundout and Krehbiel came home on a Drew Yoder sacrifice fly.
The Knights added three more runs in the seventh to tie the game on a Levi Montague RBI triple, a Jake Raecker RBI double and an RBi single by Grote.
Coe challenged for the lead in the top of the eighth as Patton Hofer reached on a fieldling error and advanced to second on an unassisted groundout by relief pitcher Joe Moen, then was called out attempting to steal third. The inning ended with another ground out to Moen, this time by JD Hunter.
Yoder kicked off the Knights' half of the eighth with a single through the left side then advanced to second on a wild pitch by Coe reliever AJ Reuter to pinch-hitter Jackson Litterer. Wartburg coach Joel Holst lifted Yoder in favor of pinch runner Chaz Boots, who advanced to third on another Reuter wild pitch and scored on a Montague single back to third base.
Moen (2-0) pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning to seal the victory. He pitched seven scoreless innings in relief of an ineffective Michael Schinstock, scattering two hits, walking one and striking out two. Reuter (3-3) took the loss after giving up the eventual winning run in the eighth inning.
With the victory, the Knights captured their ninth Iowa Conference tournament title and first since 2009. Wartburg (34-9) advances to the NCAA Division III Baseball Championships as the Iowa Conference's automatic qualifier. Coe (28-14) must hold out hope for an at-large berth.
