Auburndale, FL - The Martin Luther College baseball team took a split against Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts on the first day of their annual spring break trip at the RussMatt Invitational in Central Florida. The Knights won 7-5 in the first contest and lost 4-3 in game two of the doubleheader.

Game 1 MLC 7, MCLA 5

Connor Heckendorf earned his second win of the season in as many starts after the lefty tossed six innings against the Trailblazers, surrendering four runs (3 earned). Aidan Berg came in relief in the seventh to close out the game and picked up his first career save.

MLC took a 2-1 lead after two innings and neither team would score again until MCLA hit a 3-run homer from Chris Vargas to make it 4-2. The Knights tied it up at 4-4 after Mark Vogel singled to right field, bringing in Jordan Ramirez and Jackson Anderson. MLC manufactured three more runs afterwards with one in each inning to give enough breathing room for Berg to finish off what Heckendorf started.

Vogel led the Knights with three RBI and also drew two walks at the plate. Ramirez finished with three runs scored, two hits, and an RBI.

MCLA 4, MLC 3

The Knights came close to a sweep on day one, but the Trailblazers edged them out in a good pitching matchup between Berg and Nick Morse from MCLA.

MLC struck first with a pair of runs to start it off after Carlos Walta and Samuel Rodriguez hit an RBI double and single respectively. 

MCLA put across three runs the following top half of the second frame and took a 3-2 lead at that point. The Trailblazers scored the deciding run in the fourth on a single, making it 4-2.

Carter Seltz hit a sacrifice fly RBI in the bottom of the fifth, but Morse prevented any further noise from MLC and they'd hold off the Knights 4-3.

Parker Winghart paced MLC with three of the team's seven hits. In the loss, Berg fanned six batters while giving up four runs (4 earned).

MLC (3-2) will play another opponent that they saw last season down in Florida when they face Alfred University on Saturday, March 15 at 3:30 and 6 p.m. In the second game from last year's meeting, the Knights scored 29 runs, which was the most scored in a single game under Head Coach Randy Cox.