CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – After Day One of the 2022 American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) Baseball Tournament, second seeded Loras and fifth seeded Coe were left standing as the undefeated teams in the double elimination tournament to decide the conference’s AQ to the 2022 NCAA Division III Championships.
 
The day started off with No. 5-seeded Coe defeating No. 4-seeded Luther 3-0. In game two, big swings from No. 6 Wartburg led to a 13-2 victory in eight innings over No. 3 Nebraska Wesleyan.
 
Wartburg’s bats stayed hot in game three of the tournament but fell just short to the No. 2-seeded Loras College Duhawks by a score of 13-10.
 
After losing the series (2-1) last weekend to the 2022 A-R-C Regular Season Champions Buena Vista, Coe was able to get revenge with a 13-2 victory (7 innings) over the Beavers in
Game four of this year’s conference tournament.
 
The final game of the day featured Luther and Nebraska Wesleyan in the tournament’s first elimination game. The Norse were victorious by a score of 5-3.
 
The winner of the double-elimination tournament receives the American Rivers Conference's automatic bid to the 2022 NCAA Division III Championships. The Regional round takes place May 19-22 followed by the 16-team Super Regional round the following weekend. Eight teams will emerge from the Super Regional round to line up at Perfect Game Field at Veterans Memorial Stadium for the NCAA Division III Baseball Championships June 3-8. The American Rivers Conference and the Cedar Rapids Kernels (Class A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins) will host the Division III College World Series in 2022.To purchase tickets or find out more information on the 2022 NCAA Division III College World Series visit the championship page by CLICKING HERE.
 
American Rivers Conference Ticket Information:
Single-day tickets are $8 for adults, $5 for senior citizens (62+) and students (high school and younger or A-R-C students with valid college ID). Children 3 and under are free. A-R-C faculty, staff, may present their IDs for free admission as well. An “All-Sessions” pass will be available as well at a price of $20.00 for adults and $12.00 senior citizens and for students. Students can present their student ID for student tickets. Tickets can be purchased in advance by contacting the Kernels office at 319.363.3887.
 

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Game Recaps:
 
Thursday
Game 1 - No.4 Luther 0 vs. No.5 Coe 3 | BOX SCORE
 

Team	1-2-3	4-5-6	7-8-9		R	H	E
Coe (5)	0-0-1	0-0-0	0-1-1		3	4	3
Luther (4)	0-0-0	0-0-0	0-0-0		0	5	2

WP - TJ Deardorff (5-3); LP - Ryan Manternach (4-4)

Defense was the name of the game for the battle at Daniels Park between Luther and Coe. TJ Deardorff of Coe and Ryan Manternach of Luther fought it out at the mound, only allowing nine hits between the two. The Kohawks came out victorious advancing to play No. 1-seed Buena Vista.
 
TJ Johnson of Coe recorded the first hit of the game with a single to right field, advancing Jacob Brosius who had been walked prior. With two runners on base, Manternach and the Luther defense rallied to get three outs after a strike out and double play.
 
The teams recorded no hits in the second, but Coe found their way to the board in the third inning after single RBI to left field by Reid Rausch which allowed Brosius to find his way home from second base. 
 
Rausch found home plate for the second time during the top of the eighth after advancing from third base, bringing the score to 2-0. During the final inning, Brosius connected with the ball that sent Tyler Elliot home, making the score 3-0. At the bottom of the ninth, the Kohawk defense held the Norse batters to no hits to end the game.
   
Game 2 - No.3 Nebraska Wesleyan 2 vs. No.6 Wartburg 13 (8 innings) at Veterans Memorial Stadium | BOX SCORE
 

Team	1-2-3	4-5-6	7-8-9		R	H	E
Wartburg (6)	2-0-0	7-0-0	0-4-x		13	16	0
NWU (3)	0-0-0	0-0-0	2-0-x		2	6	2

WP - Dylan Gotto (7-3); LP - Noah Unger (3-3)

It was No. 6 Wartburg who started the tournament hot in the first game recording 16 hits to Nebraska Wesleyan’s six. The Knights had a big fourth inning recording seven runs and taking a commanding 9-0 lead over the Prairie Wolves. A successful morning at the plate propelled Wartburg to the first win of the tournament 13-2 in eight innings.
 
Max Goodhue of Wartburg got on the board first with an RBI double in the top of the first inning as the second batter of the game. Keaton Gray also scored for the Knights with a single hit through the right side that brought home Goodhue, making the score 2-0 to start the game.
 
The two teams remained scoreless holding each other to one hit a piece during the second and third innings. At the top of the fourth, the Knights bats continued to fly scoring seven runs as a team. Ben DeKruf highlighted the inning with a three RBI double to right center, sending Zach Walton, Goodhue, and Eliot Juregensen to home plate.
 
Dylan Gotto and the Wartburg defense silenced the Nebraska Wesleyan Prairie Wolves until the bottom of the seventh. The Prairie Wolves were able to score two runs off a double by pinch hitter, Christian Harris, bringing the score to 9-2. However, the Knights responded with a heavy hitting eighth inning, scoring four times.
   
Game 3 – No.6 Wartburg 10 vs. No.2 Loras 13 | BOX SCORE
 

Team	1-2-3	4-5-6	7-8-9		R	H	E
Wartburg (6)	3-0-1	0-1-2	0-0-3		10	13	3
Loras (2)	0-9-0	3-0-0	1-0-x		13	13	1

WP - Curtis Lilienthal (4-1); LP - Darren Kilpatrick (4-5)

It was all offense in game three of the A-R-C Tournament, with a combined 26 hits from Loras and Wartburg. The Knights got on board early with a three-run home run by DeKruf in the top of the first inning.
 
Loras put their first runs on the board in the bottom of the second inning, exploding with nine runs, capped off with a Ryan Wohlers RBI single to score Nick DiBenedetto. The innings first runs came on a SAC bunt by Wohlers, scoring two runs on a throwing error by the pitcher.
 
Wartburg was able to squeeze a run across in the third inning when DeKruyf hit into a 6-4-3 double play. The Duhawks were able to get three runs across in the fourth inning, highlighted by DiBenedetto’s two RBI triple to left center.
 
The next two runs came across the plate for the Knights off the bat of Jurgensen. In the fifth inning, Jurgensen launched a solo shot to left field at Perfect Game Field. The other run came on a sacrifice fly to right field in the sixth inning to score Gray. Also in the sixth inning, Goodhue singled to center field on a full count to score Bryce Butler.
 
Loras’ scoring came to a close with a Dylan Pardoe single to center field, scoring Max Cullen in the seventh inning. The Knights were able to muster three runs in the top of the ninth with a Gray two RBI double and a sacrifice fly by pinch hitter Cole Wessling.
   
Game 4 – No.5 Coe 13 vs. No.1 Buena Vista 2 (7 innings) | BOX SCORE
 

Team	1-2-3	4-5-6	7-8-9		R	H	E
Coe (5)	3-4-3	1-2-0	0-x-x		13	15	0
BVU (2)	0-1-0	0-1-0	0-x-x		2	6	3

WP - Jordan Joselit (4-0); LP - Morgan Smith (4-4)

The Coe College Kohawks were out for revenge on the Beavers after losing last weekend’s series to them 2-1. The Kohawks exploded for 15 runs over seven innings. Creighton Kreshel was the hero for Coe, recording five RBIs. Three of his RBIs came in the top of first when he had an inside the park home run scoring Rausch and Johnson.
 
The scoring continued for Coe in the second inning when Mitchell Eckardt singled down the left field line to score Elliot. The next batter, Johnson, singled to bring in Eckardt. Kreshel’s final two RBIs came in the second inning on a two RBI triple.
 
Buena Vista got on the board in the bottom of the second inning with an RBI double from Caden Mathewson. The Kohawks scored three runs in the third, highlighted by James VanHooser and Johnson singles. Coe was able to get an unearned run across the plate in the fourth inning. The Kohawks capped off their scoring in the fifth inning with a Johnson single through the right side and Rausch groundout to the shortstop to score Eckardt.
 
The final scoring of the game was capped off by the Beavers in the bottom of the fifth inning. Joel Garcia doubled down the left field line to score one.
   
Game 5 – No.5 Luther 5 vs. No.3 Nebraska Wesleyan 3 | BOX SCORE
 

Team	1-2-3	4-5-6	7-8-9		R	H	E
Luther (4)	0-0-0	0-2-1	2-0-0		5	8	1
NWU (3)	0-0-0	0-0-0	0-0-3		3	8	1

WP - Tyler Boesel (5-4); LP - Dylan Cox (3-4)

In the final game of the night, Luther and Nebraska Wesleyan held each other scoreless through the fourth ining. The Luther Norse put two runs on the board in the top of the fifth inning on a Charlie Rubendall RBI triple, scoring Josh Matanich. The next batter, Mark Prince, singled to left field to score Rubendall and put the Norse ahead 2-0.

Rubendall came in clutch again in the sixth inning when he singled to center field to bring Matanich in for a second time in the nightcap. Payton Lindmark reached on a sacrifice bunt in the seventh inning to score Joe Jersak and move Cullen Stamp over to second. Stamp scored on a Luke Plunkett sacrifice fly to left field to round out the scoring in the seventh inning for the Norse.

The Prairie Wolves got on the board in the bottom of the ninth, scoring three runs.
 

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Friday (*NOTE: Game times have been moved up due to the potential thunderstorms in the afternoon/evening)
Game 6 - 10:00 a.m. - No.5 Coe vs. No.2 Loras
Game 7 - 1:00 p.m. - No.4 Luther vs. No.1 Buena Vista
Game 8 - 4:00 p.m. - Game 7 Winner vs. No.6 Wartburg
 
Saturday
Game 9 - 10:00 a.m. - Game 8 Winner vs. Game 6 Loser
Game 10 - 1:00 p.m. - Game 6 Winner vs. Game 9 Winner
Game 11 - 4:00 p.m. - Game 6 Winner vs. Game 9 Winner (if necessary)
 

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