NEW ULM, Minn. - The Martin Luther College baseball team took advantage of the nicest day of spring so far by splitting its home doubleheader against UW-Superior on Saturday at Johnson Park. The Knights dropped the opener 19-9, but won game two 19-16.

UWS 19, MLC 9 (7 innings)

The Knights were unable to stop the Yellowjackets' offense in a 19-9 loss in game one.

UWS took control from the first pitch, sending 14 batters to the plate on the way to scoring 10 runs in the top of the first inning. Only three of those runs were earned off starting MLC pitcher Adam Kock (1-4) due to three errors by the Knights in the inning.

Kock and Andrew Deisinger held the Yellowjackets off the board over the next four innings as the Knights cut the deficit to 10-5 thanks to three runs in the third inning and two more in the fifth, but UWS put the game away with eight runs in the sixth and one more in the seventh.

Defensive miscues cost the Knights dearly as they committed eight errors that led to 11 unearned runs. Kock finished the day allowing 10 runs (three earned) on 11 hits in four innings, while Deisinger allowed nine runs (five earned) in the final three innings. 

Matt Baehman led the MLC offensive charge with his first collegiate home run and three runs batted in. Caleb Christopher finished with three hits and two runs scored.

MLC 19, UWS 16

MLC used a big first inning to win a slugfest in game two by the score of 19-16.

UWS jumped on top with four runs in the top of the first inning, but the Knights responded with nine runs of their own in the bottom half to take a 9-4 lead. MLC recorded eight hits in the inning, including a two-run double by Joey Behm, a three-run double by Baehman, and an RBI triple by Christopher to finish the inning.

UWS hung around thanks to four runs off MLC starting pitcher Dillon Solomon (1-4) in both the second and fourth innings, but the Knights held onto their lead by scoring four times in the second and three times in the third. 

MLC pushed its lead to 19-13 after six, and Nate Goelzer overcame a three-run seventh inning to earn his first save of the season in relief.

Solomon earned the win after allowing 13 runs (11 earned) in 5.2 innings, while Goelzer pitched the final 3.1 innings and allowed only the three runs in the seventh before pitching two scoreless frames to close the game. 

MLC finished the game with 17 total hits. Baehman and Behm each recorded three hits apiece, while Christopher, Jared Lindemann, Kock and Adam Westra finished with two hits apiece. Baehman also the led the team with four runs scored and four runs batted in.

The Knights moved to 4-19 on the season and 2-4 in UMAC play following the split. UWS is now 8-14 overall and 2-6 in league play.

MLC will return to action on Monday, April 22, when it travels to Minnesota Morris for a doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.