Auburndale, FL - The Martin Luther College baseball team split their doubleheader with Alfred University (Alfred, NY) on Tuesday. The Saxons defeated MLC 13-12 in the first game, but the Knights bounced back in the second game to win their first game of the season 29-11 over Alfred State. The Knights' 29 runs scored is a record under Head Coach Randy Cox and that wouldn't be the only record broken in the game, as Mason Cox had a banner day at the plate. The 6'4" senior hit for the cycle in the second game and became the first Knight to achieve that feat. Cox also surpassed Jason Lindemann (2014-17, 8 home runs) for the school home run record (9 home runs), when he hustled around the bases for an inside the park home run. 

Alfred 13, MLC 12

The Knights looked poised to take the first game early on after posting a six-run first inning that made it 6-2. Parker Winghart got the big inning going with an RBI single into the opposite field. Ashton Goring struggled with command and walked four MLC batters in the inning that led towards the other runs.

Goring settled in from that point on and held MLC scoreless in the next three innings, while his offense gave him two runs in the third and fourth inning respectively to tie the game up at 6-6.

The Knights' offense countered with another big inning in the bottom of the fifth as Spencer Lilienthal smoked the ball into right center field for the go-ahead run to make it 7-6. Alex Ritter and Winghart each singled and the Knights found themselves up 11-6.

Sam Rodriguez finished his outing after the fifth inning and the sophomore threw seven strikeouts, while allowing six runs on nine hits. Jackson Lindemann came in the top of the sixth in relief for Rodriguez, but the Saxons came right back with five runs of their own to even it up at 11-11.

Despite one more MLC run in the sixth frame, the Saxons then scored the game tying and winning runs from a pair of singles by Dylan Guthrie and Quinton Jordan in the seventh off of Lilienthal. As a result, Alfred snuck past the Knights 13-12.

The MLC lineup had six different players with an RBI, as Lilienthal led the team with three, while Winghart drove in two.

MLC 29, Alfred 11

MLC's record breaking offensive performance in the second game started off with that inside the park homer from Cox. Jordan Ramirez made his first appearance of the trip and smacked a double into left field that scored Caleb Heckendorf for the 3-0 advantage in the top of the second.

The Saxons then put up six runs in the bottom half of the second inning, with Gabe Cheddie hitting a three-run home run to right field. Alfred would go up 6-3 after that homer, but the Knights quickly ended things with an onslaught of 15 unanswered runs in the next couple of innings to seal the deal.

In addition to the school records, Cox broke a couple of personal records and was perfect at the plate going 7-for-7, while also knocking in a career high nine RBI. Ritter also had a career high in RBI (6) and scored three runs.

Ramirez had three RBI and also scored three runs, while Winghart and Lilienthal hit two RBI. As a team, MLC finished with 18 hits in just seven innings played.

Jackson Anderson was credited with his first career win after coming into the game in relief of Carter Seltz in the third inning. The freshman had good stuff on the mound and struck out eight Alfred batters.

MLC improves to 1-6 on the season with the split and will have a day off down in Auburndale, FL before they get ready to face Drew University on Thursday, March 7. The pair of games will be played at 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. at the Lake Myrtle Sports Complex.